Steel and Crimson
by Catcateightyeight
Summary: How many steps does it take to enter a world of your own making? As you walk along your path, when can you begin to stray from the road that other people have lain out for you? For that matter, when can you even begin to call that path your own? If I take one more step, that step will be my last. At least that is a step that is entirely my own, and one that cannot be taken from me.
1. Section 1

The rain was cold. I could feel the drops landing in my hair as my glasses were coated with a fine mist of rain water, each drop reflecting my humor of despair. Pools gathered near the bottom wire of my lenses, even as my lower eyelid remained dry. Before me in the sodden grass of the abandoned yard lay a headstone. Carved into the barren stone was the name 'Harold Anderson.' Nothing else was written, not even the date of his passing. The grave was unloved; not even I had brought the man flowers. I could barely come to terms with the fact that he had died two months ago. Time had been moving slowly since then.

My grandfather had been a wonderful man. He had loved unconditionally, even caring for his witch of a wife and my psychotic mother. The two of us always laughed together over silly jokes, but could still talk seriously about adult matters. He was not judgmental, and treated other points of view with respect. Most notably, he loved to tell stories. Grandpa would tell stories about his cat, magic, his children, his wife and all the places he had traveled and worked.

During his life, grandpa had traveled all over the world on business trips for his company. He had built a multibillion dollar company from the ground up, starting as a small garage business and expanding into an international corporation over the course of 50 years. Grandpa was a toy maker. He made good quality, cheap toys for people all over the world to play with. "People," he had insisted, "because toys were not exclusively made for children. Toys were for everyone who needed them." Every day grandpa poured his heart and soul into making these enrichment toys.

Two months ago, he had a heart attack, just after finishing a new prototype. When he didn't show up for work on time some concerned coworkers went to his home. They found him lying in a pile of diagrams and partially finished models. I didn't find out until I had come home from school that day.

Mom and dad were both there, which was strange. They could barely stand to be in the same room as each other since the divorce. The one who broke the news to me was mom. She tried to be gentle, but I was heartbroken. The world seemed to be a lesser place without someone so loving and kind around. We held a small ceremony for him, just the way mom wanted. Soon after we heard from his personal lawyer about grandpa's final will and testament.

I had inherited grandpa's estate, and half his fortune. The other half was given to my father, his only living son. Of course, I has wanted to move out right away, who wouldn't? However, mom wouldn't let me. She insisted I had to stay home and finish high school first. Despite having turned 18 that previous summer, and being legally an adult, I was still forced to listen to her. Grandpa's place was twice as far from school as my moms. I had my own car but I didn't fancy the idea of waking up an hour earlier than I already did, so I consented to her demand.

During the next two months mom was busy preparing me to live on my own. She set up a personal bank account with a handpicked financial advisor for my half of the inheritance. I was forced to attend her on weekly shopping trips so she could teach me how to navigate the stores and manage my expenses. We took several trips to the local colleges with excellent programs in business management. Mom was doing her best to prepare me for taking over Grandpa's company, as was predestined. During any extra time I had between mom's incessant life lessons, I studied hard in my remaining subjects and passed my final semester of high school with all A's.

I graduated today. Everyone around me was filled with a sense of freedom and excitement as they took their first steps into a new world of their very own making. Compulsory education was done with. They could now choose what they wanted to do with their life and the rain would not dampen their spirits. It was hard not to get swept along with the sense of release. Instead I did my best to keep myself in check, as I continued down the path that had been planned out for me since before I was born.

After the final assembly I had gone directly to mom's. After a few weeks of working at her, I had finally convinced mom to let me move out after graduation. Therefore it was now, she couldn't drag her heels any longer, I was moving out. I packed my bags, loaded up my car and drove away, making sure to be gone before she had gotten home. The last thing I wanted was for her to change her mind, or worse.

Yet instead of finding myself at grandpa's estate, I discovered that I had driven directly to grandpa's graveyard. I guess I wanted to visit him again. I felt inclined to tell him all about what had happened. Admit to the troubles I had been having keeping the peace at my mom's. Confess the guilt I felt over moving myself out even though this had been planned weeks in advance. Describe the small flicker of disappointment that had spoiled my graduation when I realized that all my peers had achieved something that I had not. I opened my mouth and breathed in some of the cold air, little drops of water piercing my lips. Then I closed it. I shouldn't speak here, I didn't want to disturb anyone. Besides, people would think talking to the ground was weird. He wasn't here anymore anyways.

I turned and left. The grass beneath my feet swished and swirled. My shoes were sodden. The cold was beginning to creep into my socks. Rainwater was beginning to run down my temples and nose. The walk to the car was short. My plain automobile was the only one in the parking lot. From now on it was just me and the car. Perhaps that was freeing in its own way.


	2. Section 2

My arrival at grandpa's estate was welcomed by the setting sun. The rain had yet to let up and the low light caused a rather gloomy effect on the beautiful gardens. Almost disheartedly, I gazed upon the grounds that once almost seemed to shimmer with life. I punched the code into the gate's keypad and waited for the automatic arms to swing open. Careful I pulled into the driveway and parked just outside of the extravagant garage door. I popped the trunk and grabbed out two of my bags. Walking quickly up the steps, I hurried under the eaves hoping to keep my bags from becoming too damp. I unlocked the door, not with the key the lawyer had given me, but the key grandpa had given me as a child.

Inside, the entry hall was dark. I fumbled around for the light switch which I knew was hidden behind the pillar to the left of the door. When I found it I flipped on the lights. The crystal chandelier illuminated the room with a warm, refracted light as I took in the grandeur of the entrance. Two sets of stairs framed the large room and led up to the second story of the mansion, making a powerful impression. Their oak wood banisters gleamed under the thin layer of dust that had gathered in the absence of care. Two white couches stood on either side of the hall on the main floor, leaning against the side of the stairs. The brightness of the room overtook the grim exterior, fleetingly reminding me of grandfather's warmth.

Suddenly I was horror struck. Sprawled on the floor in between the sofas lay five bleeding men. I didn't recognize these young men. Alarm prickled in the back of my mind as I realized that five strangers had invaded my home. I was sure the building had been locked when I entered. How they managed to break in baffled me. Yet, my sense of being invaded subsided with the intuitive notion I had that these men had not been seeking to trespass, but to find shelter. A desire to protect them against my better judgement nagged at the back of my mind. I dropped my bags. These people needed medical attention, and fast. I needed to contact the police, and emergency medical services. My hands searched my pockets for my phone while my feet carried me swiftly to the boys. Having little medical experience, I was unsure how to handle myself, but I had to do something. I tried to remember where grandpa kept the first aid kit, but it had been so long since I had been here I couldn't remember.

Quietly I knelt next to one of the men. He looked young, and his black curly hair fanned out around his head. Under a brown, puffy jacket he was wearing a blue fleece shirt, one that had a large blood stain soaking into the middle of a white skull and crossbones design. I checked to see if he was still breathing. _Damn it, where is your phone?_ He was still breathing, but there was a lot of blood soaking into the carpet below. Then I remembered where my phone was. I had left it plugged into the car stereo.

Suddenly, I felt a hand pressed against my cheek. Turning to look, I saw a boy leaning over me. He was wearing a green and white leather vest. A silver stud was pierced into one of his eyebrows. His hair was brunet, messy and short. Around his neck hung a pair of silver dog tags flashing brightly in the light. His pants sagged low over his hips, revealing a pair of simple, black boxers. The expression on his face was pained, and I could see him favor his left leg.

"You're going to let me kiss you," he said in a gruff voice.

I felt a tingling warmth emanate from his fingertips into my cheek. My mind went quiet and I felt an urge to be compliant. "Ok," I said.

He leaned over and kissed me, his green eyes closed. I felt perplexed by his sudden advance. Having been kissed before, I wasn't adverse to the attention. However his blatant disregard for even the smallest formalities, like an introduction or asking permission, left me peeved. The boy did have some respect, it was a chaste kiss. Even as I felt him lean into the embrace he did not allow his lips to part. Yet I am human. Through all of my discontent I could still feel an exhilarating swirl in my nether regions. The thrill of being kissed by a stranger, a handsome stranger, stimulated my erotic fantasies. A warm tingle spread itself down my face and into my chest as we continued to kiss. Then there was another tingling.

This one spread from my hips and started the moment two warm hands placed themselves upon the bones. Had I been more cognizant, I may have felt frightened. Two people had me trapped between them and seemed prepared to do anything they wanted to me. I felt another pair of lips caress my neck tenderly. As I had suspected, the person attached to the hands on my hips was interested in joining the sexual activities. I was becoming more distracted. Before I could even begin to wonder why these boys wanted to kiss me, or how such injured people were capable doing so, my mind drifted back to the ministrations. Slowly the hand on my right began to move in circles. The sensation was calming and stimulating at the same time, intensifying my focus on their actions. I gasped into the lips upon mine. This caused the warmth on my neck to become more intimate. Gently, teeth began to knead the tendon in my neck and spread a stronger tingle down my spine.

"Sam, who is this?" someone said.

The boy who was kissing me abruptly stopped, and the hand on my hip stilled. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around to find the source of the disturbance, my awareness returning to me like the fading light of dusk. The speaker was the curly haired boy who had been lying on the floor at my feet. My mind was clear enough to be surprised. He looked pale and grimaced as he placed a hand around his stomach. Seconds before I could have sworn the boy had been dead or dying. Yet here he was, pulling himself into a sitting position as if he had only been resting after a long run. Confusion scraped at the edges of my brain while questions began to spin across my mind.

"Does it matter?" Sam said. "Here, have some, you look awful." His voice sounded stronger than before, and I could hear a cocky attitude buried in the boy's words. Perhaps his tone bothered me, or maybe what he said was irksome. Either way I felt a pinch of irritation around my temples.

However I did not have long to consider this because the curly haired boy grabbed my face and kissed me as well. Again I dove head first into the embrace of a stranger. My reservations were forgotten, my mind muddled, my eyes dropped closed. The warm tingling, which I had not realized had stopped, returned with full force. This boy did not have as much restraint as Sam. He instantly licked my lips like he was begging for entrance. Kissing with tongues was better, but to allow such intimacy with a stranger seemed like overstepping some boundary. As I pondered this my body gave way to the demands of the wounded boy. I opened my mouth and allowed him to slip his tongue over mine. A shiver of excitement crawled down my back. I reveled in the feeling of kissing him deeply. The hand on my hip resumed its circular rubbing as if to steady me.

"Alright, that's enough Mathew," said another unfamiliar voice.

The curly haired boy tore himself away from me and looked up. Leaning heavily against the couch was another black haired boy, clearly older than the others. This one had glasses and a gray dress jacket on. A red tie was done up carefully around his neck holding up a dirty, but white undershirt. He wore matching gray slacks and well-polished, black dress shoes splattered with mud. His demeanor was that of a gentleman, formal and handsome. He looked upset.

"That's no way to treat a stranger, and a lady at that." His voice was controlled and stern.

"Why?" asked Sam, green eyes glaring. He pulled me up off the floor to stand next to him. Again irritation pinched around my head as I was handled so roughly. Mathew and the person behind me also stood. "You know we needed to do that. Mathew looked like he was on death's door."

As soon as I was standing I felt how weak my knees were. I had to rely upon the stranger to keep me vertical, my legs having no strength of their own. The weakness alarmed me, but not so much as to prevent me from hearing what Sam had said. They needed to do this? Who did they think they were? In what disgusting world did taking sexual advantage of me equate to fulfilling a need more important than stopping your own bleeding?

"You are taking advantage of her," said the boy in glasses.

I agreed, and then I didn't. Having not refused, and rather enjoyed, the attention, I can't say I was totally taken advantage of. I wasn't given the opportunity to decline, and I'm not sure I would have anyways.

"And you should too, before you collapse," responded Sam.

That was terrible, and rude. I changed my mind, I definitely would have told him no.

Suddenly I was pushed towards the boy in the gray suit jacket. I stumbled as my knees gave out, and my head began to spin. My eyes clenched shut as I collided with his chest. Slowly I sank down to the ground again, clutching tightly to the jacket I found under my hands. Once I felt the ground firmly under my knees I opened my eyes. Inside my head everything felt like it was spinning, but my vision was steady. This sensation made me disoriented. Coming to grips with the oddity, I realized I was staring directly into the boy's crotch. Embarrassed, I looked up into his amber eyes. The apology I was about to stammer out died on my lips when I saw the forgiving smile already on his face. Tenderly he pulled my hands off his shirt.

"Are you alright miss?" he asked calmly. The tenderness did not reach the pained expression in his eyes.

"What the hell," I said. My voice sounded meek even to my own ears.

He smiled again, and I thought I felt a soft tingling in my hands. I dismissed the notion, deciding that I had made up the sensation. I did not make up the sudden flash of shame that crossed the man's face as he pulled me to my feet. Carefully I was guided over to the sofa and we sat down.

"What is your name?" he coaxed me to begin speaking.

"Mika," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Questions began to resurface in my mind as my faculties began to return.

"Mika, what a lovely name. Why are you here?" He released my hands and grasped his knees.

Finally the wandering threads of uncertainty connected in my brain. My senses sharpened as confusion and anger sparked within me. "What do you mean 'why am I here,' why are _you_ here." I felt the impulse to stand, but I didn't trust my knees. "This is my home, and was supposed to be empty for me when I arrived. What possessed you to believe that you can be here without prior invitation? You know breaking and entering is a crime right?"

As I glared around the room I saw three boys standing around the sofa, all looking relaxed and steady in the face of my outburst. One of them I recognized as Sam, his green eyes were passive and no longer favoring his leg. Another I recognized as Mathew, curly hair a tangled mess. I didn't recognize the last one. He was tall, with lavender eyes, only one of which I could see. The other was hiding behind a long curtain of peach colored hair with frosted tips. There was a bruise on his chin I could barely perceive. Almost as if the wound had been healing for a week. He was wearing a pink tuxedo vest and wine red button up. Covering his legs he wore black slacks, held up by a black leather belt. His shoes were the same as the boy in gray's, a well-polished black covered in mud.

Sam huffed lightly, bringing me back to what the man had just done to me. I touched my lips. "And why, in all nine circles of hell, did you kiss me." My voice had begun to rise.

They lavender eyed boy chuckled, diverting my attention. "How could we not kiss such a beautiful flower such as yourself?" he said, words dripping with a seductive tone.

My nostrils flared, my chest puffed up. Subconsciously trying to intimidate him I said, "What gives you the right to do that without my permission?"

"Oh darling, would you really have denied us?" he asked, smiling knowingly. His tongue flicked out across his lips.

"Ask me and find out," I snarled.

"Erik, that's enough," admonished the man sitting next to me. "Mika here has put up with just about enough without you antagonizing her." He pushed his glasses up his nose and narrowed his eyes at Erik.

Erik balked dramatically, as if to imply he were wrongfully accused.

Ignoring Erik, the nameless man turned to me and smiled tenderly. "I apologize for our rudeness miss, and I will oblige to answer all of your questions. However, I would understand if you were interested in calling the authorities and being done with us instead. I'm in no position to force you to hear me out. Are you willing to listen?"

I thought for a moment. These strangers had intruded upon my home and my personal space. Common sense would dictate that I ought to be terrified and do anything I could to get away from them. Yet, I felt inclined towards neither. Curiosity, timid and bright, fought to be freed from the restraints of common sense. Fuck my insecurities, I wanted to know more about these beautiful people. I nodded. The motion made pressure build behind my eyes. A headache was coming on.

"Today, my brothers and I were attacked in the woods nearby. We took refuge in this home to recover, not realizing it belonged to anyone. Some of us were badly wounded and we… well, you saw how we ended up. Don't worry though, from the looks of things we are much improved. As far as why he kissed you, that is a bit harder to explain…" he trailed off seeming unsure of how to continue.

"Not that hard to explain dear brother," said Erik.

"Well… it's just that…"

"I'm an incubus," cut in Sam curtly. "We all are."

There was a short pause. They seemed to be waiting for my reaction. "Incubi huh…" I thought aloud. This was just like one of grandpa's stories. Each of the boys were attractive in their own way, and they all seemed confident sexually. I suppose them being incubi wasn't that much of a leap, if you were highly gullible. Daemons only lived in stories or works of fiction. You didn't find five living, breathing supernatural creatures sprawled across your entryway. "Please, do you really expect me to believe that? Can you prove it?"

"Of course we can," said Mathew brightly. He had a boyish charm that was quite endearing. "We are demons who gain strength from sexual energy. You saw us when you came in, we were all badly injured. And now," he pulled up his shirt. Underneath his skin looked smooth and soft. The boy wasn't fit, but you could still see traces of muscles leading down his body towards his pelvis. Just under his ribs there was a tiny scratch. There was no way such a small flesh wound could have caused such a large blood stain on his shirt. My emotions crossed between disbelief to mild realization, which must have shone on my face.

"If you need more convincing I would be happy to oblige you," the flirtatious Erik said. He stepped closer to me and caressed my cheek with his hand.

The boy in the gray suit jacket grabbed his hand. "That's enough Erik," he chastised.

Partially grateful towards the man sitting next to me, and partially exhausted by Erik's continued advances, I looked around at the boys. Putting my thoughts together slowly I said, "So in order to heal yourselves you took sexual energy from me." A few of them nodded. Exhaustion continued to set in as I allowed myself to become convinced of the boy's story. "That seems rude somehow," I said lamely, putting a hand to my forehead.

"You are right," said the boy sitting next to me. "I apologize for my brother's abhorrent behavior."

"You know what," I said carefully. "It's alright this time. I understand your desperation. If I had been in you place, I probably would have done the same thing, as awful as that sounds. Just don't any of you _dare_ do that again." I sank as much venom into my last statement as I could.

"That is more than fair," responded the man in gray, his surprise not as hidden as he may have wanted.

"And I don't think I ever caught your name," I added, looking into his amber eyes.

"Probably because he never told you sweetheart," teased the rose haired Erik.

"I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me. My name is James," replied to boy in the glasses, ignoring his brother. He gestured to each incubus in turn. "This is Erik," the boy with lavender eyes. "This is Sam," the boy in the green and white vest. "This is Mathew," the boy with curly, black hair. I nodded to each of them in turn, already having gathered their names from conversation. "And over there is Damien," he indicated a boy sitting at the bottom of the steps, holding his head in his hands and looking close to passing out.

He had flaming red hair and a delicate, beautiful figure. His thin shoulders were hunched up, causing his back to bend forward in a protective manner. Although not puffy like Mathew's, he also wore a brown jacket with a wine red undershirt. His jeans were white, covered with grass stains, blood and dirt. He was not much taller than I was, with soft looking pale skin. While we were talking, Mathew had walked over to Damien and began speaking to him in a low tone.

I wonder if he is ok.

"I'm fine, really," I could just barely hear Damien say to Mathew.

"Could I ask a courtesy of you? I know I have no right, but it seems my brother is suffering quite a bit," James asked me tentatively.

"You want me to give him some of my sexual energy." I said, already aware of what James was about to ask of me.

"Well, yes…" James was caught off guard. "I-I would consider it a personal favor," he stammered.

"Alright," I consented. "I've already helped the rest of you, might as well go all the way," I mumbled more to myself. Cautiously I stood up. James helped guide me to the stairs, keeping a firm hand around my waist. Without his help I may have not been able to make the journey.

"All you need to do is give him your hand. We don't need to pressure you into more," James reassured me.

"Really, that's all you needed?" I shot a disgruntled look at Sam, who rolled his eyes in response.

I reached my hand down to the trembling Damien, and he took it in both of his. Gently he pressed my hand to his face. As a tingling shot up my arm and gathered in my chest I could feel his burning flesh under my fingers. The skin was smooth, a wonder to touch. After a moment he opened his eyes and looked at me. They were blue, as captivating and deep as the ocean.

The tingling receded down my arm as my head began to float. Beneath me the ground dropped away with my body as a cloudy abyss opened up where I had been standing. Suddenly, my body floated upwards and a warm, white cloud surrounded me. Then, the white began to fade to black. I continued to drift in the swirling mist and rose higher and higher into the sky. Then there was nothing.


	3. Section 3

I awoke suddenly. As I gathered my wits, I began to take stock of my location. I was in a bed, one larger than I was accustomed to. Above me rose a vaulted ceiling draped in shadows. The room appeared to be a bedroom. Although, knowledge of whos bedroom it was eluded me. Rolling over I gazed towards a sliding glass door on the far side of the room. The curtains were drawn but I could still tell it was dark outside. Finally, it occured to me where I was. This king sized bed in the extravagant master bedroom was my grandfather's, or perhaps I should say mine. In front of me lay my cell phone, illuminating the dark night stand with a faint glow. I picked it up. The clock read 20:45 in white lettering. If I got here around 18:00, that would mean I had been out for almost three hours.

How did I get here? I sat up quickly. My head still felt a little light. Why was I in the bedroom? Where were those boys? Were they the ones who brought me here? This was the master bedroom so it makes sense they would have brought me here, as opposed to any other bedroom in the estate.

I swung my legs over the bed and jumped down. My feet landed on something cold, wet and lumpy. Unfortunately, I had already committed to standing, and as my right ankle twisted awkwardly, I was unable to prevent myself from falling. My hip landed hard on the bedroom floor and my elbow took the rest of the fall. Grunting in pain I rolled over on the ground and rubbed at my elbow. Looking back towards the bed I saw what I had stepped on. My rain soaked luggage was piled up on the side of the bed.

There was a sound outside of the room. Someone was walking down the hall to the master bedroom. The footsteps paused for a moment and the door opened. From my position on the floor I saw an upside down image of a stunning red haired man framed elegantly in the doorway. His eyebrows were knitted together with concern.

"We heard some crashing from down stairs, are you alright?" Damien asked.

"Yeah, I just tripped." I rolled back over to my stomach and pushed myself up. "Are the other's downstairs too?"

"Yes. We decided to make you dinner as an apology for earlier," he said. A friendly smile graced his face.

"Th- thank you." I rubbed my hip hoping to make the pain ebb. "You didn't have to do that."

"Of course we did!" Damien exclaimed, looking a little shocked at my commonplace response. "It was the very least we could do after…."

I nodded, letting him trail off without finishing. He was right, now that I thought about what had transpired. "Should we go downstairs?"

"Ah, yes. Dinner will be set up in the dining hall," Damien responded quickly, smiling brightly.

I took a step forward, feeling my tendons spark with pain and unwillingness to move. Damien reached out a hand to steady me.

"If you would like I could carry you again," he offered.

"Again?"

"Yes, when you passed out I carried you up here."

"Oh…" I paused to take in his words. "I don't think I need help. But thank you." I smiled to reassure him.

Damien didn't look convinced, but he didn't insist on it any further. Instead he turned and led me down the hall towards the stairs.

Every step I took caused a shooting pain to emanate from my hip. I gritted my teeth and bore the pain, not wanting to be a nuisance. Besides, it would dissipate soon. Sure enough, by the time I was halfway down the stairs the pain had reduced to an ignorable twinge. Damien led me through the entrance hall. I noticed that most of the blood had been cleaned up, but the carpet was still badly stained. The rug would just have to be replaced, I'm sure there was nothing else to be done. Soon we arrived in the main dining hall.

Before me stood the magnificent oak table surrounded by eight sturdy chairs. The table had been set with six sets of dining ware. Not fully decked out with the complete set of silverware and glasses like grandma would always set up. She tried to teach me proper etiquette many times but I could never understand why you would need two forks to eat a meal. Or why I needed three different drinking glasses when I could only drink the things that went in one of them. Now the table was set with only one fork, a spoon, a plate and a single cup. Such a display was moderately relaxing. I wouldn't have to worry about the intricacies of fine dining tonight.

Moments after we arrived Mathew and Sam pushed their way through the swinging bar doors that hung between the kitchen and the dining hall. They were laden with platters of food, enough for all of us to have a fine meal. Mathew was smiling, his light blue eyes crinkling at the edges and curly, black hair bouncing as he walked. Sam had a scowl on his face. His short brown hair was a mess and his brow was sweaty.

"It's not that funny Mathew," Sam barked as Mathew began to chuckle.

"Yes it is, you should have seen your face," Mathew replied, winking over his shoulder at Sam.

They both strode over to the table and began to place the food neatly upon the shining oak surface.

"Alright, quit arguing you two!" shouted James, as he too entered the dining hall with trays of food.

I was amazed at the quantity of food they had managed to cook. There were two large bowls of white rice. Set around those bowls were smaller bowls filled with assorted vegetables, all chopped into bite sized pieces. The boys had prepared everything from squash and beans to broccoli and carrots. There were varying sauces and seasonings around the table and several pans filled with meat, also cut into small pieces. The table looked like a make your own stir-fry buffet.

"Wow, I didn't realize there was still so much food here," I said, my mouth agape.

"There wasn't," Mathew chimed in, "We went to the store while you were asleep."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"And then we slaved away in the kitchen to make all this crap," Sam grumbled.

"No, I labored over the cooking, you two just argued and watched," James corrected.

"He splashed me with a mud puddle," Sam whined, looking up at James.

"You deserved it," Mathew laughed.

Mathew and Sam continued to bicker as James approached me with an exasperated look.

"How are you doing Mika? I am truly sorry we troubled you so much. Hopefully this dinner I have prepared will help restore your stamina."

"Thank you very much James. Honestly, I'm surprised you know how to cook. Everything looks wonderful."

"Come, let me take you to the table," James offered me his arm.

Smiling, I placed my hand on his arm. The motion caused me to grimace, but I forced the muscles to relax and waited for the pain to fade.

"You seem troubled. Is there anything you would like to talk about?" James looked concerned as he peered into my eyes.

Yes, was my first thought. I was suddenly reminded of grandpa's death, and the arguments with my mom about moving out. My thoughts drifted to graduation, my peers I would never see again. Following that I began to think of my upcoming college orientation. Then the daunting thought of having to live alone until I went to college, and while I was attending college. I had a lot of stress to work through. So yes, I am troubled, I'm just wasn't sure I could talk about it now.

James seemed to read this on my face and said, "You don't have to tell me, but if you ever need someone to talk to I offer you my listening ears."

"Thank you James. I may take you up on that one day."

He guided me the final few paces to the dining table. Erik stood at the head of the table, his face tilted to one side causing his pink hair to fall over his eyes. As we approached he looked up at us. Smiling, he pulled out the chair for me.

"My lady," he said, gesturing towards the chair with a sweeping motion. "You look ravishing this evening."

"Thank you kind sir," I replied, giving him a slight bow.

Erik bowed in return, chuckling, as I seated myself. Then all the boys gathered around the table and began seating themselves. James sat to my right, earning himself a peeved look from Erik who appeared as if he had wanted to take that particular seat. Damien sat on my left, next to Sam who was sitting across from Mathew and still glaring daggers at the curly haired boy. Erik took a seat on the other side of Mathew. Then they all looked expectantly at James.

"Can we eat yet James," wined Mathew, giving James his best puppy eyes.

"I suppose, if our host is ready," replied James.

"Come on man, I'm starving," griped Sam.

James turned to look at me, as if asking for permission to start.

The situation felt a little odd, so I stuttered, "Of- of course. We wouldn't want this to get cold after all."

The moment I said this, Mathew and Sam reached for the same bowl of rice. Grains of rice flew everywhere as a tug of war ensued. After only a moment of struggling, Sam came out victorious, spraying bits of rice all over Damien.

"Hey, I had that first!" shouted Mathew, glowering at Sam.

"Well I'm more hungry," stated Sam, dishing huge spoonfuls of rice onto this plate.

"It's hungrier," said James, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "not 'more hungry.'"

Sam ignored him as he reached for the pork.

"There's no way you are hungrier than I am," Mathew shot back. "You hardly did any work while we were out shopping."

Erik picked up the unattended bowl of rice, clearly trying to suppress a smile.

"You're acting childish," grumbled James.

"Well, we are children," Damien gently reminded him.

I couldn't hold back any longer. A huge smile had broken out on my face. Loudly I let out a torrent of laughter. Mathew and Sam both turned to stare at me. Erik let out a small chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Mathew through a mouth full of meat and vegetables.

"You are," I chuckled, "you two are hilarious."

"We're not funny, we're starving," corrected Sam, mouth also full to bursting.

I laughed again, and I could hear Damien and Erik join me.

"I'm sorry about their manners," James apologized, looking embarrassed. "You would think living all this time in the castle would have matured them a little more.

"No, no it's fine," I reassured him. "Thank you," I added as Damien passed me the other bowl of rice. Turning back to James I asked, "So why are you all here? You told me you were attacked, but how do five incubi end up in my backyard? Did you just say you lived in a castle?"

"Well," James hesitated.

"She deserves to know, after all we put her through," Damien told James.

"If you want, I can fill her in," Erik chimed in.

"No Erik, I'll tell her," responded James. He placed down his fork and gave me his full attention. "We are all brothers, princes from a parallel dimension. We lived in a land ravaged by war and ruled by our cruel father. Instead of suffering under the king's wrath we fled our home country. We broke through the dimensional barrier between the Abyss, our realm, and the human realm. However, our father would never accept our withdrawal. He sent agents from the Abyss after us in hopes of capturing my brothers and me and bringing us home."

"So, you're royalty from another dimension trying to escape your family?" I asked astounded.

"That just about sums it up," Sam said flatly.

"And your father sent 'agents' after you? I take it they are demons too," I continued.

"That would be correct," Erik replied in his silky voice.

"Can we go back to the part where you are from another dimension?" I requested.

"I told you she wouldn't believe us," said Sam.

James' story did seemed pretty wild, almost unbelievable. Yet he seemed trustworthy, I had no reason to doubt him. _No, that's crazy. Incubi don't exist, there aren't parallel dimensions, daemon kings don't rule anymore_. This reminds me a lot of grandpa's stories. He always talked about magic and mythical creatures as if they were real. _Dismiss that, his stories were just the ravings of an old man._ _Still, they did seem to have some sort of influence over you, and they seemed so much better after they had all kissed you._ Maybe they were really incubi, and had magical powers, but the rest of the story was too outlandish. Well, maybe not. If incubi were real then there was no reason why there couldn't be parallel universes, or daemons other than themselves.

But princes? Royalty? What were the chances of the five daemons that happened to break through the dimensional barrier were of noble blood? I suppose an evil king being the one to rule over a daemon world wasn't too far of a stretch. If they grew up with him, why weren't they also so vindictive? I guess things aren't always that simple.

"What are we gonna do now James?" Mathew's voice broke through my thoughts.

"That's an… excellent question," James said slowly.

"How long do you think we can keep running from them?" said Sam. "I mean really, why don't we just take them out and send their bodies back to dad?" He punched the palm of his hand.

"After what happened do you really think that's an option?" Damien asked Sam with a somber expression.

"Of course I do. Let me at 'em right now and I'll show you what I'm made of."

"That would be stupid Sam," Erik scolded.

Before Sam could protest James spoke, "I think laying low for a while would be our best option. That would give us time to prepare for the next encounter."

"But where?" Mathew asked.

"They have yet to find this place," commented Erik.

"That's true," said James, hanging a lot of emphasis on the word 'true.'

I could feel an unasked question hang in the air, one that no one dared to pose. Yet, I could still feel a little excited at the proposition. Instead of being so alone, I may have company. The company in question was attractive, supernatural, and royal. Who was I to complain?

"Mika, would it be alright if we stayed here?" asked Damien quietly.

The room fell silent. I could tell the boys were desperately awaiting my answer. Quickly I stuffed soy sauce covered chicken into my mouth to give me time to think. Should I really allow this insanity to stay in my home? For all I knew they were just psychopaths who liked to make up crazy ass stories. Then again, how cool would it be to have such fascinating creatures around all the time? Besides, this big, empty house was lonely. They could help chase away the isolation. _What would other people think of you shacking up with a bunch of boys just out of high school?_ _Wouldn't your mom be freaked out?_ No, she would have called the cops by now.

"Sure, you can stay," I said.

A sigh of relief echoed around the hall. The tension between James' eyebrows relaxed. Sam may have actually smiled.

"I believe there are several guest rooms in the west wing. You are welcome to take one each," I said.

"Thank you very much," Damien said pleased.

"In the meantime it would behoove us to brush up on our fighting skills," James said smiling.

Suddenly a loud buzzing disturbed the relaxing atmosphere. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my phone. The word 'Mom' flashed across the screen in time to the vibrations. Oh great.

"Pardon me for a moment," I excused myself from the table.

I strode into the entrance hall before answering the phone.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Oh, thank god you answered," Mom sounded like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I've been calling you since five thirty. What happened to you? Why where you gone when I came home?"

"We agreed that I could move out after I graduated."

"So soon though, you couldn't have waited?"

"No."

"You're poor mother, didn't even get to see her daughter off or congratulate her on her graduation. Here you had me thinking that you had been kidnapped or something, when your car wasn't in the drive and all the things gone from your room. You could have at least answered the phone."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't 'I'm sorry' me. I called at least five times. I was worried. For all I knew you could be half way across the ocean taken by human traffickers by now. Even your father didn't know where you were. Did you really want to put your poor old mother through that?"

"No."

"Well, you're safe, that's all that matters. How was your last day of school? Was the assembly nice?"

"It was fine."

"Am I ever going to get to see you again? The house already feels empty without you here."

"I guess."

"How about I come over for dinner tomorrow? That way you won't have to be all alone in that giant estate. We could have a housewarming party. You could invite your dad and we could all welcome you into your new home. It's your housewarming after all."

"Um…"

"Ok, great. I'll be there around five tomorrow. Do you want me to bring anything? Make sure you tell your dad to come too. He can also bring his wife and her kids too. You know, let's actually make it around six, I don't want to rush you. I have a gift for you, I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Sure," I wasn't even sure what I was agreeing to anymore.

"Is there anything more you want to talk about baby?"

"I'm actually in the middle of dinner," I said sheepishly.

"Oh please, don't use that excuse your father uses just to get off the phone with me. You are just like him sometimes. Besides, you can eat while talking on the phone with me."

"Oh."

"Do you miss being at home? I know you've only been gone one day, but I can still remember when you were little. You could barely spend one night at a friend's house just down the street without coming home crying because you missed me. I'll always be there for you, you know that right?"

"Yeah. Hey mom, I have to go to the bathroom," I lied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright baby. You know I love you right?"

"Uh-huh. Bye now." Even though I could still hear her talking I hung up the phone.

I felt drained, as if all the energy had been sapped from my being. Pocketing my phone I traipsed back to the dining hall. The boys all looked up as I arrived. Erik looked concerned when he saw my strained expression.

"Are you alright beautiful?" he asked across the table.

"I'm fine," I said falling heavily into the chair I had vacated moments ago. "It was just my mom."

"What did she have to talk with you about?" James asked.

I sighed and rubbed my temples in small, relaxing circles.

"She has to prepare a housewarming party for her family by tomorrow," Damien announced.

"Huh- how did you know?" I exclaimed.

"I can read minds. We were all born with a supernatural ability, mine is mind reading." He looked a little embarrassed.

"Well that sounds like fun. You'll get to see your family. Seeing your mom will be nice!" Mathew said excitedly.

"Sounds like a lot of work to me," Sam complained.

"Family is no frivolous matter," James chastised. "We should respect Mika's plans and assist in preparing the home for the event."

At this point I allowed myself to slip away from the conversation. I ate the rest of my meal in silence, chewing my food more than necessary. When everyone was finally done with dinner I retired to my room.


	4. Section 4

The door closed softly behind me. Ever since middle school I have always closed doors quietly. Just as I had entered sixth grade mom and I had a row. I can't remember anymore what it was about, but I was mad. My anger caused me to act out aggressively. I had stormed out of the living room and slammed my bedroom door. Not hard, just enough to hear a banging sound and not enough to cause any damage. Only moments later mom had burst into my room. She shouted at me that my behavior was entirely inappropriate, and she was in shock. When I was born she had hoped I would be a special child, one who would never do that kind of shit. From then on I tried hard to avoid making much noise in the house.

Slowly I sank onto the bed. The mattress was comfortable, and the duvet felt fantastically plushy. I dug my phone out of my pocket. Switching on the screen I started up my messenger application. Scrolling through the past conversations I located the one labeled "dad." Selecting the thread I began typing a message.

 **Hey dad, mom says I'm having a housewarming party tomorrow at 18:00.**

I shut off the screen and sprawled out on top of the covers. After a few seconds my phone buzzed. It was a message from dad.

 **Oh? Is that what you want to do?**

I sighed and replied quickly

 **I guess so. Do you want to come?**

Before I could turn off my phone again I received a reply.

 **Do you want me to come?**

I didn't even need to think about my response.

 **Yes.**

I waited. The seconds seemed to drag on while I waited for a response. Then my phone buzzed again.

 **Ok! I'll be there!**

I smiled in relief. Mom was always easier to deal with when other people were around.

 **Tell Milly, Liana and Kade they can come too.**

I locked my phone and rolled over onto my stomach, burying my face in the bed covering. My phone buzzed one final time. Tiredly I lifted my head up just enough to peek at my phone. I didn't even bother to unlock the device, I just read the message from the notification that popped up at the top of the screen.

 **Will do, see you tomorrow.**

That settles that I guess. Now all that there was to be done was cleaning. What a daunting thought. Perhaps I should write a list so I don't forget anything. I got up and walked over to the night stand. Searching through the drawers, I found some spare paper and a pen. Uncapping the pen I began writing my list.

Dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the windows inside and out, remove the bloody rug from the entrance hall.

I stopped, this list was quickly becoming overwhelming. My mind flashed back to the chore lists mom would write me. Each list had to be done before she got home, every single day. Vehemently I snatched up the list I was writing and tore it up. I am a grown ass woman, I don't need some stupid list. Walking into the master bathroom I deposited the list remnants in the trash can next to the toilet.

Looking into the mirror I saw a haggard looking reflection. There were dark circles under my eyes and my face looked dull. I shifted my glasses to my brow and rubbed my eyes hard. Pressure began to build at the back of my eyeballs while bright white lights sparkled around my peripheral vision. Removing my fist I blinked until the pressure dissipated. I probably should brush my teeth. Glancing down at the sink I began to search for my toothbrush. Then I remembered all my stuff was still packed away at the side of the bed.

I paced back to the bedroom. Five large bags lay in disarray on the near side of the bed. I guess I should at least get my unpacking done before tomorrow. There will be too much to do, preventing me from attending to my luggage. I unzipped the largest bag and began to unpack. Slowly I sorted my clothes into the walk in closet, arranging them in an order I fancied. Then I searched through my electronics bag. Setting up my computer would have to wait, but at least I could listen to music from my phone while I organized.

Toiletries were stowed in the bathroom. Shoes placed next to the door so I could take them down to the entrance hall in the morning. Blankets were folded and placed on the shelf in the closet. The electronics bag was shoved into a corner awaiting tomorrow. Exhaustion finally took hold while I was shelving my sketchbooks and art supplies. I walked over to the night stand and checked my phone. The white letters read 0:34, it was already tomorrow.

Flopping down on my covers I tore off my jeans. Unhooking my bra under my shirt, I rid myself of the restraining clothing. I peeled off my socks and tossed them into the corner of the room. The effort to remove any more clothing seemed insurmountable, so I just crawled under the covers and tried to fall asleep. However, my mind continued to buzz, keeping me awake. I may have lain there for an hour before finally succumbing to sleep.


	5. Section 5

There was a faint buzzing. No, a loud beeping. A siren? An alarm. I opened my eyes to see sunlight streaming into the bedroom. My phone was shouting and screaming at me to get up. I fumbled with the touch screen until my sleep clouded mind figured out how to deaden the noise. Sleep seemed so nice, and it was only 7:30 in the morning. Could I sleep a little longer?

No, I had things to do today. The thought of the house warming party aroused the easily panicked part of my mind. To force myself to wake up I rolled out of bed and landed with a soft thud on the carpet below me. The cold air began to rouse the sleepy bits of me and prodded my mind awake further. Soon I was shivering and clambering towards the closet. I peeled off what I had slept in and dug through the my closet until I found something to wear.

Once dressed, I wandered across the hall and down the stairs, making my way to the kitchen. When I arrived I was surprised to see some of the boys already awake and preparing breakfast. Mathew and Erik were frying some eggs and bacon while Damien leaned against the wall by the door sipping some tea. Hearing my footsteps I saw Erik turn and greet me, his violet eyes sparkling.

"Good morning darling. Sleep well?" he smiled seductively.

"Mmmm," I grunted. I strode over to the cabinet. Sure enough there were still some stale boxes of cereal. I reached for a bowl and began pouring myself some.

"You don't have to do that, we are making breakfast for everyone," said Mathew energetically.

"Murs fn," I replied.

"What?" Mathew asked. "Are you alright?"

I squinted at him through my glasses. How do I explain this? I breathed in. Sometimes when I first "wake up" words don't always come "out" when I tell them "to."

Mathew's brow furrowed. He looked more confused.

I walked over to the fridge and poured milk all over my cereal. Then I grabbed a spoon from the drawer in the island.

Damien chuckled. "She doesn't have a good grasp on speaking early in the morning."

As I walked past Damien to the dining hall I nodded and tapped his chest. He smiled over his mug at me and followed me to the table. I slumped into the chair at the head of the table. Shoveling a spoon of cereal into my mouth I chewed firmly on the stale clusters. Damien sat down gracefully next to me and sipped his tea.

"Were you up late last night? You look tired."

I nodded, stirring my cereal gently.

"Don't worry, we will help you get ready for tonight." He smiled reassuringly.

I continued eating. Just about the time I had finished my bowl, Erik came out of the kitchen with plates of eggs, bacon and toast, Mathew hard on his heels.

"I'll go find James and Sam," Damien said, setting down his cup of tea and walking out of the dining hall.

Erik smiled after his brother and began setting the table.

"Good morning," I said faintly.

"That was quite a delayed reply darling," Erik smirked. "Although, I must admit. You are quite cute when you are sleepy."

I yawned at him.

Erik chuckled and straightened the bacon plate.

"I'll fetch some plates," Mathew said, standing up and walking back into the kitchen.

Erik sat down in the vacated seat. Leaning over to me he smiled. "I never got an answer to my question."

"Oh, right. I slept." I dodged the question.

"You know, if you ever need someone to rock you into a gentle slumber I am just down the hall." He smiled tantalizingly.

"Why thank you. How generous of you to offer kind sir," I replied, mocking him a little bit.

"Ah, no problem beautiful. I really did enjoy holding your body in my arms yesterday," Erik winked.

"Haha," I laughed gently. "Well who wouldn't have enjoyed that?"

Erik, a smile crinkling around his eyes, licked his lips.

I laughed wholeheartedly.

At that moment James, Sam and Damien returned.

Sam looked irritated, his hair was flat on one side. All he was wearing was a white shirt and a pair of boxers.

James seemed wide awake, as if he had been awake for hours already. He had a book tucked under one arm.

As they seated themselves around the table, Mathew returned with a pile of plates and glasses. He set them around the table, giving each of his brothers one. When he offered me one I waved my hand.

"No thank you Mathew , I've already eaten."

"Stale cereal is hardly a good enough meal to prepare you for the day," Damien interjected.

"No, I'm fine. Really."

"If you insist," Mathew said hesitantly.

James cleared his throat. "Now that we are all here, we should discuss today's plans."

"Yeah, what all do you want us to do today?" Mathew asked, directing his question at me.

"Ok, we have until 18:00 tonight to-"

"When's that?" interrupted Sam, speaking around a mouth full of eggs.

"Six p.m., sorry, I forget some people aren't familiar with 24 hour time," I said. "Well, anyways," I continued, "the house is big but if we split up the rooms, cleaning might not take all day. After that I think it would be worthwhile to take a trip to the grocery store and pick up some things for around the house."

"Sounds like a reasonable plan," commented James.

"Great. So we need to conquer the entrance hall, obviously, and the dining room. In the east wing we should cover the library and the theater. The only room in the west wing we should clean is the gaming room. I'm planning on leaving the bedrooms, laundry room and office off limits."

"I didn't even know there was a theater," I heard Erik mutter, earning a shush from James.

"Grandma used to clean all the time, so there's probably still cleaning materials in a closet somewhere. All we need to do is look for it," I continued, ignoring Erik. "Let's divvy up the rooms first."

Erik decided to clean the dining room.

James preferred to tidy the library.

Damien offered to clean the entry hall.

Sam agreed to clean the theater.

Mathew took the gaming room.

"And I'll take care of compiling a list of things to get for the shopping trip and arranging a way for us to get there," I said.

"I've got a question," Mathew said timidly.

I nodded to him, looking at him expectantly.

"How are we going to explain to your family about us?" Mathew gestured around at his brothers.

"I thought about that last night. If my parents knew I was living with a bunch of incubi they would probably freak. Especially my mom. So I want to avoid bringing that up if at all possible. With your permission, I would like to introduce you as butlers, bequeathed to me along with the estate after grandpa's death."

"That sounds like a reasonable explanation," James said, folding his hands and placing his elbows on the table.

"I don't want you to feel insulted. You're not servants to me. I just don't know how else to explain you all."

"No darling," Erik cooed, "we don't take any offence."

"Yeah, we understand," smiled Mathew.

As reassuring as Erik and Mathew were trying to be, Sam seemed to disagree rather strongly.

"Alright, now that that's settled, I'm going to go look for the cleaning supplies," I said, jumping up and clapping my hands.

"But we aren't done eating," grumbled Sam.

"That's ok, I'll go. You all finish eating."

I trotted out of the room and began searching the estate for grandma's stash of supplies. The search didn't last long, I found a whole pile of cleaning agents, mops, brooms and dusters under the stairs in the entrance hall. In the laundry room was a pile of old rags perfect for cleaning. The vacuum was in a closet upstairs in the west wing, where most of the carpeting was lain. I gathered the cleaning supplies into the various rooms. In the entry hall I placed a broom, mop and duster. The library received several dusters and a rag with a bucket of water. I drug the vacuum to the gaming room. A mop and broom were also deposited in the theater. Finally I re-entered the dining hall with a broom, wood polish and a rag.

The boys had finished breakfast by the time I had returned, and Erik was already clearing the dishes.

"Ah, you're back," greeted James.

"Yes, I found cleaning stuff and left some out for all of you. I would like to have everything finished by noon," I said. Looking around I asked, "Where is Sam? I'm sure he doesn't know where the theater is."

"He went upstairs to become more presentable," James said, a note of disapproval in his voice.

I wonder how I missed him, I was just upstairs a moment ago.

"Oh drop it James," said a familiar cocky voice from behind me, "Mika didn't mind." Sam had returned, dressed in his ripped jeans and leather vest. "Right Mika," he prodded.

"No, I didn't mind. Clothing is always optional around my place," I said offhandedly and partially jokingly.

The boys all looked at me in surprise, especially James.

"Come on Sam, let me show you where the theater is." Not waiting long enough to make the boys more awkward I turned and beckoned Sam to follow me.

I exited the dining hall and walked down the passage leading to the east wing theater. The door to the theater was situated on the bottom floor, at the end of a long passageway that extended from where the dining hall and entry hall met. From behind me I could hear hurried footsteps on the hardwood. When we reached the door, I pulled the handle down and opened the door. As we stepped inside I heard a gasp escape Sam's lips.

"This is super cool!" he exclaimed, striding in and looking around in amazement.

I flicked on the dim lights. The ceiling here rose to the full height of the two story building. Sofas and bean bag chairs were scattered around the room below a raised platform. Grandpa always called that the stage, and we had several dance offs there. Behind the stage rose a 20 foot screen. Hanging from the walls were an assortment of speakers and sound dampening panels.

"Sam, over here. I wanna show you something," I called to him.

Sam had walked over to the middle of the room and was testing the comfort of some of the bean bag chairs. "Alright."

I walked to the back of the theater and climbed the ladder to the projector booth. Sam followed me up and let out a low whistle. Before us stood a desk covered in technology.

"Do you have music on your phone?" I asked him.

"My what?" Sam said scathingly.

"Oh… right. You wouldn't have one of those would you. Being from another dimension and all."

Sam looked at me as if what I had said was obvious.

"Well then… just hang on a second." I fiddled with the computer that was already plugged into the theater setup until I found some music that came with the computer. Hitting play on the 'default sounds' playlist. Suddenly music came from the speakers hanging on the wall. I could see Sam's eyes filled with wonder.

"I'll come back and check on you to make sure you have everything you need in a little bit," I said loudly over the music.

I walked away, leaving Sam behind to enjoy the theater. Quickly I returned to the dining hall where I found Erik alone polishing the table. As I entered he greeted me with a smile.

"Welcome back princess," he said.

"Thank you. I'm going to go through the kitchen and see what we need," I replied.

He nodded and I pushed through the parlor door and made my way to the kitchen. For the next half hour I tore through the kitchen, throwing out expired goods and writing a shopping list of all the food we would need. Not just for tonight's party, but for the entire week. I decided it would be best if we went to Costco for these things. The quantity of food needed to feed six people surly warranted the trip. Wrapping up my business in the kitchen I returned to the dining hall. Erik was just straitening the last chair when I entered.

"I'm finished darling."

"That's fantastic Erik! It's not even ten o'clock yet," I felt pleased by his progress. "Let's go see how the others are doing, they may need help."

We quit the dining hall and moved the entrance hall. While we walked I set a quick text to my dad.

 **Hey dad, can I borrow the truck?**

We found Damien on his hands and knees, working the area rug over with a stiff brush and soapy water. Despite his best efforts, the blood stain had spread even larger than before.

"Damien, I appreciate your determination, but I have a feeling that rug is done for," I said, flashing him an apologetic look.

"But," Damien sniffed, "This is such a beautiful rug, and it's our fault it's ruined."

I knelt beside him. "That's fine Damien. This is only a rug. If you feel that badly you can help me pick out a new one," I said coaxingly.

"Ok," Damien mumbled.

"Here, how about you and Erik roll this up and stow it in the garage for now. We can dispose of it later," I suggested.

Damien nodded, not daring to meet my eyes.

I pet his head gingerly, not entirely sure why he was so upset over the rug, and then stood up. "I'm going to check on Mathew and James."

I walked up the left set of stairs, checking my phone. There was a message from dad.

 **What do you need the truck for?**

Quickly I tapped out a response.

 **I have a lot of stuff to get at the store today. There isn't enough room in my car for everything. This house is out of literally everything.**

Turning the corner to the gaming room I looked up. Mathew was unplugging the vacuum. Clearly he had just finished.

"Hey Mathew," I said. "Erik is done in the dining room, and Damien is almost done with the entry. How close are you to being done?"

Mathew turned around and smiled at me, his curly black hair swinging joyfully. "I think I'm just about done. You have a lot of games in here Mika, I haven't even heard of most of these."

"Impressive, I know. If you like I could teach you how to play them," I offered.

"Wow, really. That would be awesome!" Mathew seemed quite excited.

"Of course, but you will have to convince your brothers to join us. Most of these games require at least four people."

"That won't be an issue, I promise. Damien loves anything from the human realm, and James and Erik would join us naturally." Mathew seemed to brighten at the prospect.

"What about Sam?" I asked.

"He might need some convincing," Mathew said, a slight frown pressing into his lips.

"Well, that's alright. He doesn't have to play if he doesn't want to. Are you done with the vacuum? I want to check on James and see if he needs it."

"Oh yeah, I'm done. All yours!" Mathew smiled and waved as I left, dragging the vacuum behind me.

I check my phone again. Another message from dad.

 **Sure. When do you need the truck by?**

Quickly I checked the time, almost ten. With one hand I sent him a reply.

 **I should be there by noon.**

Reaching the library door I poked my head inside. James was standing next to a bookshelf, one hand holding a feather duster, the other holding open a book. I cleared my throat and he looked up.

"Hello Mika," James smiled guiltily at me. "I apologize. It appears I have become engrossed in one you books." He placed the book down on the shelf.

"That's fine, so long as you finish cleaning soon. Everyone is almost done with the rest of the house," I said reassuringly.

"Ah, I will pick up the pace then."

"Do you need the vacuum? Mathew is finished with it."

"That would be much appreciated. Thank you."

I stepped into the room pulling the machine behind me. Glancing over to the shelf I noticed the title of the discarded book. It read 'The Science of Human Love Making.'

"Oh, interesting choice of book James. I would think an incubus would already know about that kind of stuff."

"On the contrary. Sex in the abyss is much simpler. There are many daemons willing to give you their sexual energy. Some for a price, and some just for the pleasure. Whenever the hunger built up too much, finding sustenance was easy. However, my time here has shown me that humans are not so eager. We have a mind altering ability to… convince other creatures to join with us, but I don't like going to that extreme. Seems wrong somehow."

Strange, a sex driven daemon with morals equivalent to human society. "Are you hungry now?" I asked insensitively.

James clenched his jaw and looked away from me.

Oops. "I'm sorry, I should not have been so forward," I apologized. For a moment I paused, and then said, "Well, reading a book like that might not help you very much. That's only for truly lost causes." I sighed, remembering when I myself had read that same book. "How about this. When we go out shopping I'll find you some better literature to browse through. Deal?" I extended my hand to him.

He looked at me for a moment, studying my face. Then he reached out and took my hand. My fingertips tingled slightly at the contact.

"Deal," he said.

We shook hands and I left quickly. "I'm going to go check on Sam. Don't take too long," I called while retreating down the hall.

Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my phone to read dad's response.

 **Ok, we are going to be away from the house at that time. I'm going to leave the key under the bumper for you.**

A sigh of relief escaped my mouth. I had been wondering how I was going to explain the boys to dad when I went to get the truck. Then I texted back.

 **Thnks**

As I passed the gaming room I noticed Mathew was gone. In the entry hall the rug had been removed, but Erik and Damien were nowhere to be seen. Passing the dining hall I could hear their voices coming from within. I guess they were waiting on James and Sam. Jogging down the hall I finally reached the theater door. Quickly I went inside.

What I noticed first was the music. A calm piano melody was playing quietly over the speakers, accompanied by some orchestra. On the stage stood Sam, eyes closed. He was moving his body in slow, deliberate motions. For a moment I had no idea what he was doing. Then a thought crossed my mind. Tai Chi. Quietly I approached the stage.

"Sorry to interrupt," I said, "are you finished cleaning?"

Sam paused in his movement and opened his eyes. "Yes, I'm done," he replied in monotone.

I smiled. "Great, almost everyone else is done too. I want to take a moment and go over the shopping with everyone before we head out. Will you join us in the kitchen?"

Sam nodded. He jumped off the stage and walked over to the coffee table. From there he picked up the remote that controlled the sound system and shut off the music. I was admittedly impressed that he had learned how to use the remote on his own. I walked over to the door and waited in the entrance, holding the door open for him. While we walked to the dining hall I asked him about his dance.

"It's called Tai Chi. I find it relaxing," he said passively.

I knew it. "You looked quite impressive."

"Thanks," he murmured.

While we were talking I glanced at my phone. There was one more message from dad.

 **3**

I smiled and re-pocketed my phone. When we walked into the dining room I saw the rest of the boys standing around the table eating sandwiches. I smiled.

"Good, I'm starving!" Sam said loudly.

"You're always hungry," Mathew stated.

"Am not," said Sam, pretending to be taken aback.

"Are too," interjected Erik.

I laughed and Damien handed me an egg and bacon sandwich.

"Leftovers?" Damien offered.

"Ok," I consented.

While we ate lunch I went over my shopping plan with the boys. First we would stop by dad's place and pick up the truck. His Dodge Ram had enough seats for everyone and plenty of room in the bed for our shopping. Then we would take the interstate to a mall in the city. There we could pick out clothing for the boys, something befitting of a butler. While they were fitted I would run by the book store for James and take Damien to the furniture store to look for area rugs. Finally we would head to the nearby supermarket and pick up groceries. We had a busy day ahead of us.


	6. Section 6

Around 17:55 the doorbell rang. The chiming could be heard throughout the entire estate. Must be mom, she is usually early. I had been in the entrance hall with the boys. They all looked stunning in their suits, black jackets and slacks accompanied by white undershirts and ties that matched the color of their eyes. Handsome was the only way I could describe them.

"Thank you," said Damien.

I nodded, walking towards the door. Upon opening the door I saw mom standing on the porch. My mother was a short, frail, with mousy hair and a very tense air about her. She was holding a plate of food and a nicely wrapped gift basket.

"Hello baby," she said, smiling. Mom walked in and gave me a hug and a kiss.

"Hi mom," I replied. "You didn't have to bring anything, I went shopping,"

"Well, I told everyone tonight would be a potlatch."

"Everyone?" I asked a little lost.

"Who are these people Mika?" Mom asked, as if she didn't even hear what I was saying.

"These are some butlers who came with the house." I didn't want to make a big deal about the boys.

However, mom was not going to let that slide by easily. "I don't remember dad having any house servants. From what I recall, your grandmother was convinced she didn't need any help around here up until the day she died." Mom sounded suspicious.

"Grandpa hired them after grandma died," I tried to explain.

"The lawyer didn't say anything about this to me."

"It's my house mom, he wouldn't have needed to say anything to you."

"Still seems strange to me. I am your mother." She squinted accusingly at the boys.

James boldly stepped forward. "May I take your coat mam?" He bowed and extended his hand.

She nodded and pulled her fleece jacket off her shoulders. James took the jacket and walked the clothing to the coat closet.

"I'll take the plate to the dining table for you," Mathew offered brightly.

Mom handed off the plate to Mathew and he skipped away. Then she turned to me.

"You might not want to be dressed like that when the other guests arrive." She gestured to my jeans and t-shirt.

"What do you mean?"

"I invited several people from dad's company to come by tonight. If you want to make a good impression on the people who work there you should start early. This may help you get your foot in the door."

"I thought tonight was just for family," I felt my heart sinking.

"Oh no dear, you don't have much time left before you start your career. After four or five years at college I expect you to be in a perfect position to take control of the company. Now head upstairs and change. I know you still have a few dresses leftover high school left over, one of those will do just fine."

I didn't know what to do. My feet carried me to the staircase. I thought the worst thing I would have to deal with tonight would be mom and dad fighting. Rather, mom yelling at dad about something. The sound of footsteps echoed behind me. I turned and saw Erik following me.

"I shall attend you, my lady," he said, smiling lightly.

"Actually, Erik, would you mind waiting on the door. You have a very inviting touch I would like to take advantage of."

"Anything for you princess." He bowed. "Will you at least allow Damien to be with you in my stead?"

I nodded, I had no will to argue. Erik returned to the door and Damien followed me up the stairs. We walked quickly down the hall.

When we reached my door I said, "Just a moment Damien, I need to change."

He nodded and leaned against the wall.

I stepped inside and closed the door softly behind me. Mom knew I hated wearing dresses. Everyone knew I had made sure to throw my dresses away after my ex broke things off with me. Well, everyone except the woman I had lived with, who knew I had secretly kept them. Wandering through my closet I finally found the one I had in mind. It was a black and gray, strapless dress, one with a blue ribbon sewn between the chest piece and the skirt. Quietly I stripped, pulled off my socks, threw off my bra and threw the dress over my head. For a few moments I struggled with the ribbon, then I called Damien.

"Could you come in here for a second?"

Damien opened my door and poked his head around the corner. "What is it?"

"Could you tie this for me, I can't seem to tie a bow behind my back."

"Sure," he said, smiling lightly.

I watched him in the reflection of the full length mirror we were standing in front of. He tied the bow delicately, not pulling the ribbon too tight around my stomach. When he finished he let the blue silk flow through his fingers while he ran his hands down my sides. Resting each palm on my hip and his chin on my shoulder he made eye contact with me in the mirror.

"Are you alright?" There was concern written all over his face.

 _No_. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Don't worry, we will be here for you," he whispered into my ear.

I smiled, but the expression did not reach my eyes.

Damien released my waist and I followed him out of the master bedroom. When we returned to the entry hall there were already several people I didn't recognize. Mathew and Sam were running plates of food to the dining hall. James was organizing coats in the hall closet. Erik was opening the door as another couple arrived. I walked down the stairs, Damien close behind me. Soon I was swarmed with people, shaking hands left and right, hearing names I would never remember.

"You have a beautiful house."

"Thank you," I replied to one person.

"My condolences on your grandfather's passing."

"I appreciate your sympathies," I said to another.

Time crept slowly by, and I continued to circulate between the entrance hall and the dining hall.

"I heard you are going to an out of state college," said one man to me.

This caused me to pause. "Where did you hear that?"

"Your mother said you were accepted to University of Pennsylvania. They have an excellent bachelors program in business."

 _Oh yeah, that bullshit._ Mom had forced me to apply to all the top business schools in the country. "I was accepted, but that doesn't necessarily mean I am going to attend," I said.

"Oh," he said, looking taken aback. "I see, sorry to assume." He left awkwardly.

"Mistress," said a quiet voice behind me.

When I turned around I saw James, bending down to talk directly into my ear.

"Yes James, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. There is a man wishing for a moment of your time. He is in the theater when you can spare a moment."

"I'll head there directly, thank you."

He nodded and returned to waiting on the guests. I traipsed down the east hallway to the theater. Begrudgingly I opened the door. When I saw who stood on the other side my face broke into a wide grin.

"Daddy," I ran towards the man and gave him a bear hug.

My dad was lean, with a much kinder demeanor than my mother. He had dark, balding hair and a peppercorn beard. Just like me, he wore glasses over his eyes. Unlike me, he was fairly tall.

"Hello Mika," he smiled thought his beard.

"I'm so glad you could come."

"Me too. I didn't realize there would be so many people here."

"I didn't either."

He sighed knowingly. "Did your mother have something to do with this?"

"Seems so."

"Well, you can always tell them to leave. This is your house, and you are an adult now." He was trying to encourage me to take charge.

"Yeah," I was unconvinced.

"I brought you something. We all did, but Milly, Liana and Kade couldn't make it. Kade had another panic attack so they ended up at the ER."

"Oh no, let me know how he is doing when you meet up with them again."

"I will. But first, take a look."

Dad pointed the projector remote at the screen. Suddenly I heard a very familiar theme song playing over the speaker set. The guitar melody repeated the menu song to my favorite game.

"Rock Band!" I said excitedly.

On the stage before me was a set of wireless, electronic instrument controls. Growing up, whenever I was at dad's house I would play Rock Band. I spent hours on the game, getting as many achievements as I could and completing the world tours for each of the three games. Eventually I got so good I could play the guitar and sing at the same time on a hard difficulty. I wasn't the best, but I really enjoyed playing.

"Did you manage to set the PlayStation up with the projector? I didn't think the two would be compatible."

"You underestimate your father's technical skills."

I laughed. "True. Thank you daddy."

He patted me tenderly on the head. "I'm probably going to head out now. I need to get back to the ER."

"Alright daddy, I understand. Thanks for coming by."

I followed him out of the theater and to the entry hall. Returning to the housewarming party was the last thing I wanted to do right now, but I had no choice. Looking around I privately checked in on the boys. James was speaking animatedly with some of the men. Erik was speaking to a young woman who had come alone to the party. Mathew was in the dining hall, clearing some emptied plates from the table. Sam was leaning against the wall, looking moderately annoyed. Damien was mysteriously absent.

"Hey Sam," I called, walking up to the brunette. "Have you seen Damien?"

"I think he went upstairs. Crowds aren't really his thing," replied Sam. His tone of voice suggested this was obvious.

"I'm going to go look for him," I decided.

Before anyone could waylay me I snuck up the stairs and headed to the west wing. After a short search I found Damien in the study at the far end of the hall. He was standing in the dark, looking out the window at the bright moon.

"Hey Damien," I called softly. "What are you doing up here all alone?"

Damien turned around to look at me. The silvery moonlight fell gracefully over his red hair. Even though his face was shrouded in shadow I could see his deep, blue eyes shining. His elegant figure was silhouetted beautifully against the night sky. I felt a fluttering in my stomach as I admired his beauty.

"I just stepped away for a bit," he replied quietly.

I walked around the desk and stood next to the gorgeous boy, drawn to his delicate personality. Looking out the window I surveyed the dark yard.

"Beautiful isn't it," he said, a hint of wonder in his voice.

I looked up towards the sky. The moon was waxing, and only a few of the brightest stars could be seen through the light pollution from the city. "Not really. I hear the night sky out in the mountains is really a sight to behold," I replied. Turning my gaze back to him I thought, you're prettier than any night sky I've ever seen.

He turned to look at me, slightly surprised. "You really think that?"

"Apparently." I had forgotten that he could read minds. My eyes shifted back to the window.

After a pause Damien started up the conversation again. "I tend to get overwhelmed in crowds. You were wondering why I was in here when you came in. There is no controlling my mind reading ability. When there are lots of people around, I receive fragments from all of them. I find it… exhausting."

"I understand. If I were you I would probably feel the same way."

Suddenly Damien put his hand to his temple. He made a grunt of pain and partially collapsed against the desk.

"Damien," I said in alarm. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he gasped out, "yes I'm fine. Sometimes I get this way… when I'm low on energy."

I put my hand on his arm.

"I'm used to being in pain. I'll be fine," he grimaced.

My mind jumped back to high school. I could almost see the flash of steel and the drip of crimson. _Used to pain huh?_ "Could I help you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, squinting at me though the pain.

"Well," I said quietly. I adjusted myself to stand directly in front of him. Looking up into his illuminated face I could see his eyebrows knitted together in pain and confusion. "I could give you some of my energy. There's no need to suffer in silence." I was coming on to him, hardly daring to hope I could use this opportunity to kiss this gorgeous man.

Damien looked away. "I don't want to take advantage of you."

I placed a hand on his cheek, tilting his face towards me forcing his gaze to return. "It's not taking advantage if I'm offering, is it?" my voice had dropped to a whisper, my gaze flickering between his eyes and his rosy lips. "Unless, of course, you don't want any."

"No, that's not…." He didn't seem to know what to say.

His blue eyes were dilated, the huge pupils reflecting the shine of the moonlight. Slowly he leaned in, decreasing the distance between us. Tentatively he pressed his soft lips onto mine. My eyes closed. A warm tingling sensation spread across my face. My body moved on instinct as I tilted my head slightly to allow the kiss to deepen. I wanted to share this intimate moment with him. My mind was calm and quiet for the first time this evening. My extremities yearned to feel the sensation of his skin pressed against them. However, Damien was still and tense under my hand. Was this his first kiss? He seemed nervous.

I decided to take lead, hoping to relax the boy. Slowly I opened my jaw, guiding his chin downward with mine. Tenderly I snuck my tongue into his mouth. Acting on instinct, Damien's tongue began to play with mine. The familiar lurch in my groin heightened my excitement. I always loved this kind of interaction. It's like having sex with your mouth.

The moment I thought that, I felt Damien wrap his arms around me. Another soft tingle began to emanate from my lower back while his warm hands rubbed themselves up and down my body. I pressed closer to him, wanting to feel his body against my front. My groin longed to rub teasingly against his. As I had hoped, Damien seemed to be gaining confidence. His tongue in my mouth began to fight for control. He wanted free rein to explore, and I consented.

My mind was still. All I could think of was the sound of us kissing and the warmth of his touch. I felt one of my hands rest on the curve of his hip, the other stroked his cheek tenderly. My body was responding to the caresses, but I held back. I didn't want to push him farther than he was comfortable. I knew how awful that felt. Instead I allowed him to continue making out with me until he was satisfied.

All too soon the tingling sensation stopped, and Damien reluctantly pulled away from me. I looked up at him. He was watching me through half lidded eyes. A pleased smile graced his handsome features. I dropped my hand from his face and smiled back.

"Wow… that was, I mean. Thank you. I feel much better now."

"My pleasure," was all I could say. A pang of pride reverberated in my chest at being able to satisfy an incubus. He had made me breathless, a naturally good kisser. Who would have thought? I straightened my dress and backed away from his embrace. "I better go back," I said guiltily. Honestly I would have preferred to stay with Damien. _You don't want your mom to be disappointed._

"I'll be down in a minute," Damien said. Was he embarrassed?

"Ok," I said, striding over to the door of the office. Before quitting the room I turned back and said, "Remember, I was the one who offered, you don't need to feel guilty." I didn't wait for a response.

The bright lights of the hallway stung my eyes. I was forced to blink a few times before my eyes adjusted. My mind remained quiet until I stood at the banister overlooking the entrance hall. A swarm of bodies churned in, out and around the expansive room. From the middle of the room I could see mom beckoning to me. She was standing next to a tall boy, one about my age.

As I approached she smiled at me.

"Baby, this is Andrew. He is the son of the current CEO of dad's company," mom introduced us.

"Nice to meet you," I said flatly.

We shook hands. I felt a moderate amount of disdain. I could almost smell ulterior motives in the air resonating from my mother.

"I hope you two will become good friends. His father has a lot of influence in the company and Andrew would make a good ally. I gave him your phone number so you can keep in touch."

"You did what?!" I rounded on mom.

"I gave him your number-" she started.

"You can't just do that," I said shocked

"Yes I can," she said definitively.

"It's rude to give away contact info without the person's permission. You can't just do that." Was she crazy?

"Yes I can," mom repeated. Her tone of voice made clear to me that was the end of the conversation. In her mind she obviously did nothing wrong.

I stood in silence as she continued talking animatedly with the stranger.

After a while she suggested we take our conversation to the dining hall. She hinted that there were gifts for me to unwrap. As if on cue the entire crowd began to file into the dining hall. I was directed to a chair next to the far end of the table. The oak surface was laden with house warming gifts from the visitors.

"Start with this one dear," said mom, handing me the gift basket she had arrived with.

I pulled the purple tissue paper off the handle and stared at the gift. Inside were a very strange assortment of things. Shampoo, snacks, a box of condoms, notebooks and pens accompanied a soft blanket tucked into the bottom. I looked at mom questioningly.

"It's a starter package for college, so you don't need to worry about going out and buying the basics while you are still settling in." Mom seemed proud of herself. She then handed me an envelope.

I tore open the flap and examined the paper inside. Printed in black lettering appeared to be an acceptance letter, proclaiming the sender would happily attend college at University of Pennsylvania.

"I figured I would make the process easier for you and write your response to the university. All you have to do is sign your name." Mom plucked a pen from the gift basket and handed it to me.

I was stunned. She knew I hadn't made up my mind on which school I wanted to attend. There were all these people around waiting for me to do something. I felt my hand take the pen. _Well, the campus is pretty. This could be your chance to finally get away._ This might be alright. _All these people approve, University of Pennsylvania must be a good school._ My chest felt tight, I couldn't swallow the saliva gathering in my mouth. _You knew this day was coming for a while. Just four more years then you can finally start your own life. Bear with this a little longer._ I was breathing, but the air felt like dust gathering in my lungs. My hand signed the paper. Applause erupted from around the room.

"Congratulations Mika."

"You'll have a great time at college."

"Your grandfather would be proud."

The voices blended together. My mind wouldn't process what was being said. With some encouragement from mom I opened the rest of the gifts. Most of the things were standard, housewarming gifts. Blankets, candles and a calendar.

The party didn't last much longer after that. Finally around nine people began to filter out of the estate. While guests were leaving the boys were preoccupied making sure everyone took home their flatware and jackets. Mom was the last to leave.

"Did you like my gift baby?" She didn't wait for a response. "I thought I did a good job. For a few months I've been collecting things for you. They will probably prove to be useful for you while in Philadelphia."

"Um…"

"Would you like me to stay a little longer? We could sit in the theater and watch a movie on the big screen."

"No thanks mom, I'm pretty tired."

"Ok baby. See you soon." She kissed me and left.

When the door shut behind her I quickly turned the lock. My stomach clenched and I felt numb in my extremities. Pressure was building in my temples and across the crown of my head.

"That was quite an experience," said Sam, my exhaustion reflected in his face.

"I had a great time," said Mathew contentedly. "Wasn't it nice to see your mom, she seemed like a nice-" he faltered mid-sentence.

Damien was shaking his head at Mathew.

"My dear, would you like to go to bed? You look about ready to fall asleep where you stand," Erik cooed in a gentle voice.

"Yeah, we should all go to bed." I looked around at the tired group. "We can clean up tomorrow."

Sam unbuttoned his jacket and loosened his tie.

James took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

I walked tiredly up the stairs. Erik followed behind me. This time I didn't ask him to stop. He escorted me all the way to my room. As I reached for the door handle Erik grabbed me.

"My dear, you seem affected." He was searching my face for something.

"I'm fine," I lied.

Erik pulled my arm gently upward and pressed his lips to my fingers. "If you ever need a distraction, I will be here for you." His voice dripped with seduction.

I smiled, but again it did not reach my eyes. Tenderly I removed my hand from his grasp and stroked his cheek. Then I turned and entered my bedroom. As quietly as I could manage I shut and locked my door. Not bothering to turn the lights on I stripped. Making sure to step on my dress as much as I could, I let my mind stray. Tonight had been exhausting. Standing naked in my room I began to think.

 _She didn't let you choose, I thought college was your choice._ I've always known going to college was no option for me. When I was in kindergarten I had heard one of the kids say that college was a choice. You could decide to go or not go. Later I repeated this sentiment to my mom and she had replied 'no, college is not an option.' _Why should you believe her?_ That's just the way things have always been. _Four years, that's all. Then you can take control of your own life._ Mom had never gone to college, and was always told she couldn't. _You can't get a good job without a bachelor's degree._ That's what people always said. Mom didn't have a degree but she had a well-paying job and respectable standing. I could hear her say 'a degree is practically a requirement for getting a job now a days.'

The pressure in my head was building. _How could she take advantage of you like that?_ Peer pressure was something I couldn't contend with. _What a stupid gift anyways, and what was with the box of condoms._ She put so much work into it, and I'm hardly embarrassed by stuff like that anymore. _You would be ungrateful if you rejected the gift._ My head spun and swam. _You don't want to go to college why would you want a college starter kit. Of course you want to go to college_. I want to be free of wanting what she wants _._ I felt like my brain was being pressed against my skull.

The psychological pain I was experiencing was excruciating. I couldn't keep thoughts from flying around my head. My breath came in short spurts, my eyes burned. On shaky legs I traveled over to the nightstand. Inside the top drawer lay a single item. My old pocket knife. Hand shaking I picked up the blade. Pressing my fingernails into the notch, I pulled free the sharp metal. I flipped my hand over and lay my forearm on the nightstand. With shaking fingers I traced the blade over my arm, just under the crease opposite my elbow. A faint crackling could be heard as I tore through just the top layer of skin.

Shooting pain flew up my arm. The pressure in my head relaxed. My thoughts halted in their tracks. Only the physical pain of my arm remained. I breathed a sigh of relief. _This helps more than you remember._ The pressure started to return. I retraced the line I had made in my arm, deepening the cut. Until I could see a light red line appear and stay, I kept sliding the blade over the same spot. So long as I could feel the pain in my arm I couldn't feel the pain in my head. The relief was astounding. My mind was finally clear. Once the first line was done I started a second line millimeters from the first. There was another faint crackling as I tore through my flesh. I repeated the process, finishing with two small scratches of equal length glowing against my skin.

I stopped. The pressure in my head would only be abated so long as the physical pain remained, but I was tired. This would be enough. Collapsing my pocket knife and dropping it into the drawer, I crawled into bed. As I tried to fall asleep the pressure in my head would return in waves. Dark thoughts would plague my mind. Confliction spread across my brow. Whenever I felt too overwhelmed I would press my thumb into the two lines. The dull ache would quell the pain enough to allow me to drift off to sleep.


	7. Section 7

I awoke to my 7:30 alarm the next morning. Begrudgingly I drug myself out of bed, stomping across my discarded dress. My vision was hazy, and my tired mind couldn't put two thoughts together in a way that made sense. Eventually I became conscious enough to wander my way to the closet. I found a pair of jeans and a shirt with long sleeves. Making sure the shirt covered my wounded arm, I got dressed slowly. I left my room with my hair unbrushed, phone in my hand.

Peering down the hall I noticed that only one of the boys' doors was open. The entry to James' room stood ajar. I had a hunch the others were still asleep. Not wanting breakfast yet, I found myself heading towards the theater. When I arrived I plugged my phone into the auxiliary cable at the projector booth and turned on some music. I flipped through my songs, looking for one that could pound out the racing thoughts that had remained from last night.

Finally I found one. The song had a strong base, loud drums and the lyrics were mostly screaming. Seemed perfect to fit my mood. I pressed play and walked over to the stage, grabbing the volume control on my way. Shifting the Rock Band equipment out of the way, I lay down on the cool surface of the stage. Then I pumped the volume up as loud as I could without blowing out my ears. I kept increasing the volume until I could feel the beat pounding in my chest and my mind couldn't comprehend anything other than the music. For two minutes I lay there, listening to the music and losing myself in the beat.

After the song ended, the next started up. Immediately I recognized Paramore. This was one of her more beautiful songs, one of heartbreak and finding love after all was lost. I stood up, held my arms out as if there were someone there to dance with, closed my eyes, and began to sway on the spot. Suddenly I felt a warm arm drape itself across my waist, and a tender hand clasp mine. I opened my eyes and saw James standing before me, holding me loosely and preparing to dance. Smiling I tried to speak, but the music was too loud and he couldn't hear me. In time with the music he began to lead me in a slow dance. I had never danced like this before, and I'm sure it showed. However, James was a good enough dancer for the both of us. He led me slowly around the stage in a graceful waltz. We danced until the song ended. Then he stepped back and bowed to me. I smiled and returned his bow.

Jumping off the stage I ran over and turned the music down with the remote as the next song started playing.

"Good morning James," I greeted.

"Good morning Mika. I heard your music from the library and thought I would come investigate," he said.

"Oh, I didn't mean to disturb your reading," I said shyly.

"No need to apologize miss," James reassured. "I find your company as enthralling as any book I have ever read."

"Have you started those books I bought you?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, I finished one last night. The story was… stimulating." He flushed.

"I'm glad you liked it. The lady at the store said those books were best sellers. Did you learn anything?"

"I found the protagonist's stratagem to be rather informative, yes."

I laughed. "I think you are the only person to call flirting a strategy."

"Am I really that strange?" James seemed put out by my laughter.

"Strange isn't the right way to put it. More like, unique in your thought process." I continued chuckling.

He didn't say anything for a moment. "You are a good dancer," he commented offhandedly.

"You are a good dancer," I corrected. "I'm just good at following along."

"Yes, I have been told that before." He nodded a little conceitedly.

"Did you do much dancing at the castle when you were growing up?"

"I am first in line to inherit the daemon king's throne. Of course I was taught to dance respectably."

"Ah, of course…" I trailed off. Since they lived in an alternate dimension I had figured things would have been different from the nobility of this world. I guess some things transcend dimensional barriers.

"I imagine the others are awake by now." James said as if he hadn't said anything striking. "Shall we go start preparing breakfast?"

"Sure, lemme just grab my phone."

I climbed the ladder into the projector booth and unplugged my phone from. Instead of climbing back down, I just jumped from the booth. I landed with a loud smack, startling James slightly. We exited the theater and walked towards the dining hall. Just as James had predicted, the other boys were already awake. They were debating what to make for breakfast.

"Eggs and bacon are fine. They are quick and easy with plenty of protein," Sam was saying.

"But we had that yesterday," Mathew complained.

"So," said Sam.

"So we need a little variety in our lives pipsqueak," said Erik.

Sam glared at Erik. "I dare you to call me that again."

"Pipsqueak."

With a growl Sam dove at Erik, who nimbly dodged out of the way. They began running in circles around the table. Mathew and Erik were laughing joyously while Damien glanced nervously between the roughhousing and James. I followed Damien's gaze and noticed James' expression. He looked like a volcano that was about to erupt.

"ENOUGH!" James shouted. "It is too early for this kind of nonsense.

Sam stopped running abruptly and Erik jogged behind Damien, placing the redhead between him and his enraged brother.

"He started it," Sam said, pointing an accusing finger at his lavender eyed brother.

"I don't care who started it," James started lecturing Sam.

Erik, peeking over Damien's shoulder, stuck his tongue out at Sam, who glared back. Clearly, they weren't listening to James.

"If you must be immature, wait until after breakfast." James finished.

"Someone sounds a little hangry," I said, trying to lighten his mood.

"Hangry? I'm sorry, I'm unfamiliar with that term." James furrowed his brow at me.

"Hangry is slang for being angry because you are hungry," I explained.

"Well then, that's an easy fix," Mathew said happily, "let's just make breakfast."

"Ok, how about pancakes," I suggested.

"What are pancakes?" Mathew asked, tilting his head slightly.

"You've never had pancakes before?!" I was shocked.

"We haven't been in the human world for all that long," Damien reminded me.

I nodded. "Pancakes are warm, flat cakes covered with all sorts of different toppings. They are a rather common breakfast food. I picked up some pancake mix yesterday at the store, I'll make some for you all."

"Great! Can I help?" Mathew seemed eager.

"Sure, follow me."

I lead him to the kitchen, Damien followed us. Pancakes were easy to make, I'm sure they could help without problems. I pulled out the package of mix, several frying pans, a mixing bowl, the butter, the milk and a cup for water. Handing the mix bag to Damien I said, "Here, you can review the directions."

"Um…" he muttered, looking to Mathew for help. "I- I can't read," he admitted shyly.

"You can't read? Why not?" I asked, surprised.

"In the Abyss, only those of the highest noble standing are allowed to learn how to read," Damien explained.

"I thought you were all the sons of the daemon lord though." If they were all of the royal bloodline then wouldn't Damien also be a noble?

"We are, but Damien is different," Mathew interjected.

"My mother was a commoner. She and my father had an affair and I was born accidentally. All of my brother's mothers married the daemon lord and became queens of the country. My mother was not allowed to. Despite this we were permitted to live in the palace along with my brothers." Damien looked uncomfortable telling me all of this.

Mathew picked continued for Damien. "Because his mother was a commoner, Damien wasn't allowed to participate in some of the things the rest of us could."

"Like learning to read," I mused. That would have been nice to have avoided.

"Why would you think that?" Damien asked bewildered.

"I was never given the choice on if I could learn how to read. Instead I was forced into reading whatever my parents or my teachers thought I should. The process was slow for me and I wasn't very good. A lot of the other kids at school would tease me or correct me when I made a mistake. Ever since then reading hasn't been my favorite thing." My confidence in my reading ability was also very small.

"Well I can assure you, not knowing how to read isn't nice. It's embarrassing really." Damien rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, you're here now. Nothing here can stop you from learning to read anymore. I'm sure we could find you a class to take. You could learn to read and write pretty easily," I said confidently.

"Really? That- that would be wonderful." Damien brightened up at the prospect, all thoughts of embarrassment forgotten.

"Wow, Damien, you've always wanted to learn how to read. I'm excited just thinking about it," Mathew said, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

I took the bag from Damien and read the directions out loud to them. Mathew set to work mixing. Damien ferried flatware out to the table. He also carried out various toppings, from fresh fruit to peanut butter. I worked the stove top. Mathew was a great cook, as it turned out. He told me about all the meals he had made for his brothers. Claiming he couldn't hold a candle to James' cooking, Mathew was convinced he was the second best cook of the family. We worked together seamlessly, until.

"ACHOO!" I sneezed violently, flinging the spatula covered in pancake mix.

"Wow, that was quite a sneeze," Mathew smiled.

Drops of batter had flown everywhere. "Oh great."

"Here silly, you got some on your nose." Mathew reached over and wiped the end of my nose with a paper towel. He slowly moved his hand away from my face, staring at me intensely. His blue eyes glittered in the kitchen lighting. I felt myself admiring their shine. Dropping the paper towel Mathew gently caressed my cheek.

"Mathew?"

His eyes were fixated on my lips. The intensity of his gaze made my face begin to heat up. If his eyes could penetrate my soul they would have seen it beginning to take flight. Tenderly he traced my bottom lip with his thumb, totally entranced. My mouth opened slightly and my breath quickened. I thought he was going to embrace me. For a second, I wanted him to embrace me. Pupils blown out, he looked longingly at me. My lips began to tingle lightly.

Suddenly the parlor door banged open. Damien had returned. Like a cat whose tail has been tread on, Mathew leapt away from me.

"Damien!" Mathew rounded his brother in surprise and anger.

"What?" Damien looked taken aback. Then his face fell with realization. "Was I interrupting?"

"Um…" my mind wasn't processing. "No! We- uh- I…"

"Damn it Damien, you can read minds," Mathew yelled. "Can't you figure that out on your own?" As he spoke Mathew became louder and louder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Damien stuttered out.

Mathew bit his lip and shut his eyes. Then he stormed past Damien, pushing past his brother and out of the kitchen. We could hear his foot falls all the way out to the entrance hall. Just as the noise faded away Sam poked his head into the kitchen.

"What happened to Mathew," he asked.

We responded with clueless stares.

Sam sighed. "That boy needs to get laid."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, we all get a little… on edge… if we don't get enough sexual energy. That's just the price of being an incubus." Sam explained.

I thought of Damien last night. How he was nearly knocked off his feet from the pain in his head. I understood what Sam was saying.

Breakfast was almost ready. Flipping the final set of cakes I told the boys to go wait in the dining hall. After a few more minutes I added the final pancakes to the serving plate and transferred them to the dining table. The boys cheered and began dishing up their plates. Mathew, however, was absent from the table. Throughout the meal my eyes kept flicking to his empty seat. Before anyone could take them, I secured the final three pancakes and saved them for Mathew. I prepared them traditionally, with maple syrup and butter, not sure what he would have preferred. Then I excused myself from the table. I was going to find Mathew and make sure he ate.


	8. Section 8

Finally I found Mathew in his room. I knocked lightly on the door.

"Y-yeah?" I heard him stutter.

"It's me. Can I come in?"

"Sure, I guess." Mathew didn't seem confident, which was out of character for the energetic boy.

I opened the door. Mathew's bedroom was warm and playful. High shelves nailed into the walls were lined with varying stuffed animals. His bed covers were a light blue and white striped, and his sheets were white. The matching curtains were drawn over the widow, blocking out the sunlight. Upon the desk lay an opened puzzle box, only the border and part of the corner were completed. The rest of the pieces were still in the box, the picture on the lid was propped up against the lamp. Mathew's puffy, brown jacket lay discarded on the floor.

Mathew was sitting on the bed, facing away from the door. He had his knees pulled up against his chest, and his face was hidden between them. Wrapped tightly around his legs, his arms seemed to shake slightly. As I approached I noticed that Mathew was sweating.

"Hey Mathew, I brought you breakfast," I said soothingly.

He looked up and over his shoulder at me. Forcing a smile onto his face, he took the plate from me. With a shaking hand he cut a small triangle out of the stack and tried the pancakes. "Hey, this is pretty good." Even with food in his mouth I could hear his voice was only feigning its usual brightness.

"If you aren't feeling well you shouldn't miss a meal. You will only feel worse," I commented.

Mathew nodded. I sat down on the bed, facing away from Mathew. Examining the shelves more closely I began to notice the distinct shapes of the stufties. Most of them were unrecognizable creatures. They seemed like something out of a fantasy movie. Some had wings, others had long, curving horns. One even had six legs. I marveled at the toys while Mathew ate.

"How did you come by these?" I finally asked, my curiosity peaked.

"I make them, that's my special power. My brothers and I all have a special power that's different from the others. I can create things out of nothing."

"Wow, I'm impressed."

"Here, let me show you." Some of the energy had returned to Mathew's voice.

Mathew turned towards me and set his half eaten stack of pancakes on the bed. Then he pressed his hands together, almost like he were praying. Clenching his eyes shut and concentrating hard, Mathew seemed to be gathering power between his palms. After a moment he unfolded his hands. Laying in his open palms was a small figurine of a dragon. The design was intricate, and the dragon's eyes sparkled like gemstones. Mathew smiled for a moment, then he grimaced. He leaned forward as if he had been struck in the stomach.

"Mathew, don't exert yourself," I tried to comfort him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He was crying.

"What for?" I asked coaxingly.

Mathew lifted his face towards me. Tears and sweat mingled on his cheeks and his eyes darted back and forth in a panic. His curly black hair was wet around the brow. I felt a pang of sympathy for the young incubus.

"I- I touched you." Mathew's light blue eyes were still searching my face for something.

"That's hardly offensive Mathew." I was doing my best to reassure the distraught boy.

"But I wanted," his voice was trembling. "I wanted- I wanted more."

My genitals gave a little lurch. This sweet boy wanted me sexually? I found this enticing. "What's wrong with that?"

"It's not fair to use my powers on you like that," Mathew said hurriedly.

"Did I seem upset?" I asked.

"No."

"Did I pull away from you?"

"Well, no."

"Did I ask you to stop?"

"No but-"

"Then what are you sorry for?"

He stopped speaking. I could see the confliction swimming in his eyes. Mathew was a sweet, energetic and alluringly happy man. If I could, I wanted to drown myself in his presence and escape all the evil in the world. Immersing myself in that genuine joy would surely brighten my life, if it could anyways. At the moment, he needed something. I felt empowered since I could provide for him, support him in this time of need.

"Why do you assume I would be so opposed to your advances?"

My question seemed to clear away some of the conflict in Mathew. Encouraged, he sat up straight. Then he crawled over the bedding towards me. Determinedly he swung his leg over my lap and straddled my hips. In this position he was able to lean over me, placing his palms on my shoulders. I observed him calmly, making no move to deter him.

"So, if I did this, you wouldn't be upset," he whispered.

Mathew's eyes were dilated. He may have been nervous and shy a moment ago, but longing now replaced the fear. Yet, he still swayed lightly before me, as if just sitting up was causing him nausea. My protective instinct kicked in. I wanted to wrap my arms around Mathew and chase away all his pain. If giving him some sexual attention could help the boy, I wanted to provide. Lifting my hands off the blanket, I caressed Mathew's sides. Soft fleece greeted my fingertips warmly.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not upset."

He began to lean downwards. Slowly, Mathew's bright eyes grew closer to mine. Our gazes were locked in hope. His desire was evident on his face. Closer and closer he came. My chest tightened with anticipation. Then he stopped, Mathew's mouth hovering inches away from my lips. Tantalizingly he waited, drawing out the moment agonizingly. The teasing caused my lips to begin to quiver. Eagerness stimulated me further.

Then his eyelids drooped. Mathew slumped over and buried his face in my neck. Every part of his body relaxed, almost like he had given up. I let out the air I didn't realize I was holding in. Carefully I cupped a hand to the back of his head. Mathew's black locks were soft, if a little bit damp. Gently I lowered myself backwards, guiding Mathew along with me, until I was laying on my back. He remained crouched over me, elbows and forearms pressed to the bedding, rear end pointed upwards towards the ceiling.

Quietly, Mathew sniffed and trembled. I took my free hand and began rubbing slow circles into his back.

"Hang on," he gasped out. "It just hurts."

"Take your time," I replied, continuing my stroking.

Soon his breathing steadied. Strength seemed to gather in his arms again. He pulled away from my neck. His black hair fell forward towards me and framed his face. A mischievous smile was curling into his mouth. His eyes glinted playfully as he said, "Now, where were we?" Mathew's voice was humorous, along with a hint of lust, as he feigned forgetfulness. I could still see faintness emanating from his demeanor, but he was determined to hide it.

"I think you were about to kiss me," I said, entranced by his playful rouse.

"Oh, right." Mathew pretended to remember.

Then he lowered his face to mine, pressing our lips together steadily. My eyelids instantly dropped. A rushing sensation emanated from my groin while a faint tingle spread down my neck. Finally, Mathew was kissing me. The smell of pheromones wafted over me, surely augmented by Mathew's sweat. I was intoxicated by the embrace, but this wasn't enough, I wanted more. Subtly I parted my lips, hoping he would understand the signal.

I was disappointed when Mathew pulled away from me. Withdrawing only a couple of inches he peeked at me thought his eyelashes. His mischievous smile lit up his face. Watching me closely, he slowly licked his lips. I let out a yearning whimper imagining that tongue inside my mouth. Mathew's smile widened.

"My my, eager are we?"

How could I not be with all this taunting? I thought.

Mathew bent over again and started kissing my neck. I tilted my chin away to allow better access. My breathing was speeding up. Little, prickling tingles were dancing over my ribs, climbing further and further down my body. My groin felt tight, and I squirmed. He had pinned my thighs together with his knees in a constricting manner. I wanted desperately to open my legs. The entirety of my mind was focused on Mathew's affections as he continued to kiss me, ignoring my attempt to free my legs.

His tongue slid across my skin, leaving a trail of tickling saliva from my collar bone to just behind my ear. I felt a high pitched wine gather in the back of my throat. Please, I thought, please put that in my mouth. I felt impatient, I was losing my restraint. Any moment I was sure I would grab his face and just kiss him myself. Before I could, the warmth from my neck disappeared. I was breathing rapidly through my mouth, the stimulus causing my heart beat to quicken. Not having time to open my eyes to see where Mathew had disappeared to, a warm pressure touched my lips.

Finally, his mouth was open, his tongue ready for me to play with. I responded eagerly, twisting my tongue around his mouth. This time Mathew was not slow, but passionate. His head was tilted to the side and he reached deep inside me. To my surprise I felt a light tickling at the hem of my shirt. A warm hand ghosted over my skin pulling my focus unwillingly away from the kiss. Slowly, tenderly, Mathew pressed the palm of his hand into my stomach. A tingling warmth melted into my skin as he slowly drew his hand upwards. He paused before each rib, as if counting them on his way towards my bosom.

Mathew's tongue was unrelenting in my mouth. It swam and danced, our saliva mingling. I could taste the faint flavor of maple from the pancakes. My back arched as a gentle thumb traced across my sternum. There was a divide in my mind. Half of my brain was concentrated on the hand under my shirt, the other half focused on the penetrating kiss. As I grew accustomed to the sensations my mind began to regain control of my body. I lifted my hands from the bed, reaching towards the bottom of Mathew's fleece. My probing fingers began to explore his skin just underneath.

In response, Mathew quickly grabbed both of my wrists. He pinned them down to the bed above my head and pulled away from my face. For a second I was worried I had gone too far, overstepped some kind of bound. Then I saw the expression on his face. Dilated eyes accompanied a satisfied smirk.

"Do you want to see?" he asked. Mathew's voice had become husky.

Did I want to see? See him, shirtless above me? Yes, absolutely. No doubt about it. Uh-huh. Say yes. I breathed out, letting out a whispered "Yes."

Mathew's smile broadened. He released my wrists and pulled the blue shirt over his head. The skin beneath was marvelous. He was pale and smooth, not a blemish in sight. Muscles were apparent under the skin, making clear curves flow over his hips and point downward below the belt line. Bushy black hair sprouted from his armpits in dark contrast to his untarnished chest. Mathew looked so soft and warm.

I squirmed lightly, tense excitement building in my abdomen. Mathew looked down to me, still smiling his mischievous smile. I'm sure the expression on my face conveyed my desire clearly. I wanted to know more. How did he feel? Was he as soft as he looked? My arm lifted slowly off the bed. About halfway to his chest, Mathew caught my hand in both of his. Immediately I was disappointed. Was I not allowed to touch?

His smile continued as Mathew slowly brought my fingers up to his face. Then he did something I didn't expect. He placed my middle finger between his teeth. Giving me one final grin, he began sucking tenderly on the digit. His eyes fluttered closed like he was enjoying himself. My finger felt comfortable against the cushy tongue. Warmth covered my finger in a reassuring manner. He sucked and pulled gently as I felt my face heat up. This was hot.

His tongue swirled around my finger. I swallowed hard. My face was burning, tingles were vibrating up and down my wrist. Gently he rubbed my fingers, repositioning them to bring a second digit into his mouth. I couldn't take my eyes away from his face. My chest felt heavy and my breathing was slow.

"Mmm," Mathew let out a contented hum.

Lude slurping sounds were audible from the boy as he pushed his tongue between and around my fingertips. Saliva began to drip into my palm. The sensation was unbelievably good. I wanted to know what else that tongue of his could do to me. With a final, firm draw Mathew slowly removed my fingers. He opened his eyes and looked at me. Satisfied with what he saw, he gave me a kind smile.

"I think that's enough for now," he said. His voice had its usual vigor restored.

"Oh… does it have to be?" My voice sounded breathy.

"Yeah, we have to save something for next time after all." Mathew winked.

Next time? I felt my groin lurch at the thought.

He dismounted my lap, rolling over to lay on the bed next to me. His knees bent over the edge of the mattress, allowing his legs to swing freely. Tucking his hands under his head, he turned his face towards me.

"Thank you Mika, I feel much better now."

"Haha," I laughed breathily. "I feel like I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Mathew smiled and turned his attention back to the ceiling. He was adorable. I forced my breathing to steady. Absentmindedly I put my fingers to my lips. Just the thought of what had happened caused a stirring in me. If he was done I had to cool off. He gave me time before saying anything. Once my pulse had returned to resting rate he asked me a question.

"Hey Mika, are you still gonna teach me to play one of those board games in the gaming room?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Great!" He sat up, resting his hands between his legs and leaning forward. "Can we do that today?" Now who was the eager one?

"Maybe. I have some more unpacking to do. How about we talk about it after dinner?"

"Alright." Mathew returned to the other half of his pancakes.

After a few more minutes I excused myself from his room. I was still horny, and had to slap my face a few times with my hands to redirect my thought process.


	9. Section 9

I spent the rest of the day setting up my gaming computer in the study. Fortunately I found that both of my monitors fit on the old, wood desk. The window behind the desk cast some glare on the screens, so I resolved to pick up a set of blackout curtains for the office. For now I had to turn the brightness of the screens to max in order to compensate. Once everything was set up I attempted to connect my pc to the internet.

For several minutes I shouted abuse at the router. Nothing I tried connected my computer to any network. I knew grandpa wasn't current with technology, but I had no idea his internet was that bad. Eventually I called the service provider. Sitting on hold for almost an hour tried my patience. When I finally got through to someone I found out that no one had been paying the internet bill so the company disconnected us. I explained about grandpa's death and they agreed to reconnect me. For a while longer I struggled setting up an account with an automatic system over the phone.

Finally, just as the sun was beginning to set, everything was set up. Tomorrow I would take the internet out for a spin. Now, I was starving. Typically, I skipped lunch on the weekends. Today had been no exception. I had spent all day cooped up in the office, and my stomach was furious at me. Hungrily, I wandered down to the dining hall. When I arrived I was greeted by Damien, Sam and Erik. They were all drinking out of mugs.

"Welcome back to reality dear," Erik said, waving at me. "Are you hungry? James and Mathew are cooking."

"Starving, I skipped lunch," I replied.

"What did you do that for dummy," said Sam, appearing disinterested.

"I don't usually eat lunch on the weekends. Too much of a hassle."

"That's a strange way to think about food," Damien commented.

I shrugged, food had never been particularly motivating to me.

"How about I go get you some tea darling," Erik offered. "That may help tide you over until dinner."

"That sounds nice, thank you Erik," I replied.

Erik left, pushing his way through the parlor door and disappearing into the kitchen.

Sam huffed and sat down at the table, taking a swig from his mug.

"I heard you shouting earlier," Damien said. "Was everything alright?"

I grimaced, remembering my altercation with the router. "I had a fight with my computer. Don't worry, I won in the end."

As I chatted with Damien I found out the boys had spent the day sparring with each other. They were practicing in order to prepare themselves to fight against the agents their father had sent after them. Apparently Sam was quite a talented fighter, able to take on his four brothers single handedly. Therefore, I wasn't surprised to observe Sam staring haggardly into his mug. Erik returned with my tea at the same time James and Mathew finished dinner. Tonight they had made pork chops and fresh salad. Everyone settled around the table and began to eat.

"So," I started a conversation with the group, "Damien told me he never learned how to read. Are there things you boys haven't learned how to do because you lived in the Abyss?"

"Well, I'm not totally sure," said James. "We only ever learned what princes of the daemon realm needed to know."

"I guess an easier question would be, what did you learn?" I asked.

"We learned how to fight," Sam jumped in. "Swordplay, boxing, archery. Erik, James and I practiced every day."

"No, Sam, you practiced every day. We only practiced when you begged us to join you," Erik corrected.

"I never begged," shot back Sam.

"What about Mathew?" I asked

"I never had any interest in fighting," Mathew said.

"He would always hid from the dueling instructors, became very sneaky after a while," Erik commented.

"Wouldn't that have made your father angry?" I asked.

"Oddly enough, no. The daemon lord always said 'if you have the ambition to take what you want then you must have the nerve to act,'" James said.

"Oh. That seems a little strange," I observed.

"I thought so too," Mathew replied. "After he forced James to spend so much time reading."

"Mathew, Erik and I spent a lot of our time reading," James expanded. "We studied books on war strategy and governmental policy."

"And some other… miscellaneous subjects," Erik added suggestively.

"Erik and James learned how to dance," Mathew added energetically.

"Why only James and Erik?" I asked

"Come on, can you really picture me dancing with trashy nobles at some frivolous event?" Sam asked.

I shook my head, I really couldn't imagine that.

"Damien and I were deemed too young to learn how to dance," Mathew explained further.

"Wow, the daemon world sounds so different," I was a little stunned. None of these things seemed helpful in the human world. Yet they learned so much that I would probably never know. What about Damien though?

"My brothers taught me most of what they learned," Damien told me. "I was never allowed to work with the royal tutors, but my brothers didn't want me to feel left out." He gave an appreciative smile to his brothers.

"What do humans learn about?" Mathew asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

I thought for a moment. "Well, we learn how to read and write. Then we learn mathematics and history. Mostly we learn that in school."

"What's school," Mathew asked.

"It's an institution where humans gather based on an age range to learn," James informed Mathew.

"So humans don't have personal instructors? That's so weird." Mathew sounded awestruck.

"Do all humans learn in schools, or are only the nobles allowed to attend?" Damien asked.

"All people go to school. At least, most people in this country do. There isn't really a nobility anymore," I replied.

"That's amazing." It was Damien's turn to be awestruck.

I don't know about amazing, I thought. School was a pretty normal, mundane thing.

"So in order to learn things you have to go to school," Sam said, sounding a little put out.

"Not necessarily. There's things you can learn outside of school. Like how to drive a car or how to play an instrument," I reassured him.

"Sounds like we are lacking a lot of skills we need in order to live in this world." James commented.

"I was worried that might be the case," I said. "But you know what? I bet there are some classes you can take which might help you."

"That sounds promising," James said

"How do we find these classes?" Mathew asked.

"I should be able to do a little research and find something online," I told Mathew. "I doubt there will be much availability until the fall, but I can start looking tomorrow."

The boys seemed enthusiastic at this prospect. Even Sam, who I had assumed would be against schooling, appeared interested. I spent the rest of dinner explaining how schools worked in the human world. Mathew was mystified at the idea of trade school, specifically cooking classes. Erik was impressed by the diversity of art classes and fine art schools there were available. James expressed interest in exploring higher education. Damien couldn't stop talking about finally learning to read. Sam watched the conversation in silence, excitement dancing behind his eyes.

Their enthusiasm for school bewildered me slightly. Compulsory education had ruled my life for 12 years, controlling my every action. From dictating my friendships to deciding what time I woke up in the morning, school was everything in my life. I hated all of it. The fear of tests, the tediousness of homework, the bias of teachers and the limitations of subjects. Never have I had free will in my education, and I still won't for the next four years. I was manipulated into taking advanced placement classes to stave off boredom. Then I was peer pressured into difficult art classes. Now, mom has chosen my college for me. I may have just graduated, but I still have a lot of resentment about my education.

After dinner I helped everyone clean up the dishes. Once we were done Mathew grabbed my hand.

"Mika, let's go," he said brightly.

"Go where?" What was he talking about?

"You promised to teach me how to play a game."

"I don't think I promised-" I started.

"What's this about a game?" Erik cut in.

"There's a room upstairs with a whole bunch of human games!" Mathew explained excitedly.

"Oh? I don't think we have ever played a game before," James said.

"Never played a game before?!" I said shocked. "I'm beginning to think you boys were neglected as children."

"May we join you darling?" Erik asked.

"Of course, you all should join us. Most of those game are more fun with multiple people," I encouraged.

"I dunno, sounds stupid to me," Sam said grumpily.

"Your mind seems to be interested in joining us," Damien mused.

"Get outta my head!" Sam shouted at his brother.

I laughed with Mathew and Erik.

"Come on, let go play a game," I said. Mathew's enthusiasm was rubbing off on me.

I led the boys upstairs to the gaming room. The room was a little bit smaller than the bedrooms. Each wall was lined with shelves containing an assortment of card games, board games and memorabilia. In the center of the room was a round table with plenty of space for five people to sit comfortably. A pile of pillows were stacked in a corner to be used as seats for the table. There was one window that looked out over the drive. The fading light cast a dark shadow over the property. I flicked on the overhead light while wondering what game to play.

Eventually I decided on teaching the boys Uno. The game wasn't super complex and a good gateway game. While I searched for the game the incubi dismantled the pillow tower and set up the table. Pulling out the two decks I had mashed together as a kid, I explained the rules to the boys. I dealt seven cards around the table and we began. Damien, the youngest, went first. They caught on to the rules fairly quickly. After a few rounds some of the boys were nearing victory.

"You forgot to say uno Mathew," James said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Gaah! You've got to be kidding me," Mathew exclaimed while drawing two more cards.

"Haha, serves you right for forgetting," said Sam, a single card clutched in his hand.

It was my turn, and Sam was next. Mathew had just placed down a blue four. I fingered my last wild card tentatively. What were the chances Sam had a blue card? Maybe I should make it green instead…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Damien said. "Sam's last card is green."

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" Sam shouted, jumping up and staring daggers at Damien. "Damien is cheating!" he declared.

"I'm sorry! I can't help it," Damien responded, sounding mildly warry.

"Oh yeah, help this." Sam pounced on Damien, wrestling him to the floor.

The two tussled for a moment, until Sam came out on top, pinning his brother to the floor. Everyone else was laughing at their antics. Even James had a humored smile on his face.

"Alright Mika, what's your play?" Erik laughed.

"I think I'll play this!" I said, dramatically tossing a blue eight onto the pile.

"Oh good, now Sam has to draw," Damien teased.

Sam grumbled and began pulling cards out of the deck. After the fourth card I began to giggle. The noise echoed around the table as Sam drew a fifth and sixth card. Slowly our laughter grew into a thunderous guffaw as Sam's hand grew to twelve cards. His face grew redder and redder from anger as he kept drawing. Finally he drew a blue one.

"That's it, I'm not playing with this cheater anymore," Sam decided, pointing an accusing finger at Damien.

"What?!" Damien chuckled. "But I didn't do anything wrong."

"Pfft," Sam snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Perhaps we should stop anyways. It's gotten pretty late," James said, a hint of comedy in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired," Mathew agreed.

"I'll clean up, you guys go to bed," I said, smiling.

They began to leave the room one by one, wishing me a good night. Erik was last to leave, and he paused by the door.


	10. Section 10

"That was an amusing evening darling, thank you." Erik smiled at me from the doorway.

"I'm glad you liked the game," I said, stuffing the cards back into their cardboard box.

"We all did. I don't think I've seen James so relaxed since we ran away from the Abyss."

I nodded. He made sense, considering their father had sent bounty hunters after them. Erik leaned against the doorway casually, arms crossed over his chest. His pink hair cascaded over his eye giving him an unreadable expression. I stowed the box of cards back on the shelf and turned to look at him. Erik seemed to be waiting to ask me something.

"My dear," he said. "Would you do me the honor of entertaining me a little bit longer tonight?"·····

"Sure. What would you like to do?"

"I would like to get to know you a little more personally."

I pretended not to hear the lustful tone he spoke in, or see the wink that crossed his visible eye. "I would also like to get to know you a little bit better, in a literal sense."

He smiled alluringly, extending his hand out to me. "Would you like to join me in my room my lady?"

"That would be lovely good sir," I replied, putting on the same over polite air he was. Erik's room, I wonder what it looks like. He's probably just trying to get laid. That wouldn't be a terrible thing.

I took his hand and followed him to the bedroom he had chosen. Inside was decorated with cherry red linens. The curtains were open, revealing the dark drive and cloudy night sky. Clothing had been strewing haphazardly over the floor, leading me to believe that the incubus had a messy personality. Erik crossed over to the nightstand and flicked on the table lamp. A faint amber light lit up the room in a warm glow. Erik sat down on the bed, patting the spot next to him. I walked over and joined him, sitting lightly on the deep red comforter.

"Tell me more about yourself darling," Erik said. His seductive voice was very enticing.

What was there to say? Where do I start? I thought for a moment, folding my arms and curling my fingers over my mouth. "I don't know where to begin. Could you ask a more specific question?" Usually I could pick up conversations easily, but this was too broad a subject.

He thought for a moment. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Yes, a few. I like playing video games and tabletop games."

"Do you have a favorite game?"

"There's so many, I don't know if I could choose."

"Tell me about them, I want to know."

"Well, my first favorite game was Rock Band…"

I began telling Erik all about the games that had gotten me through high school. As I talked he leaned on one hand, tilting his head slightly to one side. He appeared to be listening intently. However, I knew if you didn't share an interest in the subject then talking about it could get boring. After a few minutes I faltered.

"I'm sorry, this is probably a dull conversation for you…" I trailed off, feeling a little self-conscious.

"Not at all dear. Your energy and enthusiasm make even an unfamiliar conversation intriguing."

"If you say so," I looked at my hands. Why was I feeling so shy all of a sudden?

Erik didn't take notice of my withdrawal. "Have you ever been loved before?"

I felt my face heat up a little bit when I looked back to Erik. For a long time I have prided myself on being an easy going and open person, so I answered. "Yeah, I got around quite a bit in high school."

"I see. Do you have any special lovers?"

"No, not anymore." I seriously hoped I would never see those boys again.

"Oh? I would have thought a lovely girl like you would surely have entranced some young lad by now." Erik had scooted closer to me.

"You aren't wrong. However, I never gave my heart to any of them in return."

"You make it sound so sad. Why not princess?"

I frowned. Truly, I had never allowed myself to fall for anyone, not really. I kept a protective barrier around my heart. People had bullied me, used me and thrown me out. If I didn't allow anyone in then no one could hurt me. Besides, detached sex was easier than love making. I couldn't say that to Erik, so instead I lied. "I guess you could say they were never satisfying enough." I smiled suggestively, hoping to lead him out of this topic, and on to something more distracting.

"Haha," he laughed. "Then you must not have found a capable man." Erik had gotten closer now. He was within reaching distance. "I don't mean to brag, but I'm quite… experienced." His eyebrow lifted briefly and his arms opened wide as if to present his body to me.

My interest was piqued. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"When I was younger my mother told me about how to take care of a woman. An incubus gains power from sexual energy, and she wanted me to be strong enough to surpass my brothers. She gave me advice on how to woo a woman and capture her heart. After that I learned how to make love to a woman properly... To take care of her every need... To satiate her desire…." Erik's voice was dropping lower and lower.

I know most people wouldn't be interested in a man who so immodestly boasted of his sexual exploits. Yet, it was my turn to be intrigued. Never had I been with a man who sounded so skilled. Just imagining my own desires being 'satiated' began to turn me on.

"I became rather popular among the ladies of the court," he continued. "On many evenings I was called away to entertain a maiden in need of some attention. They would climax ever so sweetly in my embrace and then send me away again."

Erik was very close now. I could feel his warm breath on my face. His eyes were half lidded and focusing intently on me.

"I've never had anyone satisfy me in that way before," I admitted.

"I could make you higher than any of your previous lovers." Erik was whispering now.

I licked my lips. "Why don't you prove it?"

He placed his thumb on my chin, tiling my face towards him. A tingling sensation pricked at my face. As he spoke I could almost feel the movement of his lips. "I would never act without my lady's permission."

My breath seemed light in my throat. I couldn't speak louder than a whisper. "Permission granted."

Gently he leaned in the rest of the way. Our lips connected and warmth began to spread over my face. He was a gentleman, waiting for the initial jolt of pleasure to pass before requesting entrance into my mouth. His tongue was thick and warm, sliding in tenderly. He immediately allowed me access to the soft underside. My stomach fluttered, and my groin tightened. Breathing was proving more and more difficult as our kiss continued.

His hand traveled down my arm and finally came to a rest on my hip. Slowly he began rubbing comforting circles into my side. Occasionally his thumb would slip under my waistband. A tingling sensation accompanied the comforting strokes on my hip. I felt my nether region responding to his affections. My chest grew heavy as my mind started screaming for air. As if sensing my need, he pulled away from me. Panting I looked up into his face. Erik was smiling seductively. His violet eyes sprinkled with lustful intentions as his own chest heaved with Erik's gasps for air. My heartbeat quickened at the sight.

"You are an excellent kisser." Erik's voice was quiet and charming.

I reached up and clutched his shirt, pulling him closer to me, unable to resist his embrace. He responded to me in kind, pressing his lips against mine passionately. As his tongue entered my mouth again he began to shift our position on the bed. I hung onto his shirt as he guided my hips further up the mattress. Then he bent me backwards until my head hit the soft pillow.

At this point he was laying on top of me, pressing his groin into my pelvis. A swell of excitement emanated from my genitals as I recognized the hard lump forming in Erik's pants. The pressure his body placed on mine restricted my breathing some, but also began to stimulate my nerve endings. His body weight felt so right over mine. The weight was a reminder that there was a boy above me, loving on me.

I reached up and ran my fingers over his shirt. The chest underneath felt firm, and warm. All I could think about was how soft his skin would be. Running my fingers over where his nipples must be, Erik let out a short grunt. I was sure he wanted to be felt as much as I wanted to feel him. Finally I found the buttons of his vest, and began undoing them. Once I had totally freed the buttons from their holes I striped off Erik's shirt and vest at the same time. Not hesitating, I began running my hands over the bare chest.

My breath caught in my throat as I felt hard muscles running down Erik's abdomen. From experience I knew that abdominal strength was an asset for a man during sex. Anticipation began to combine with the excitement I felt in my groin. I couldn't tell if my chest was heavy from Erik's weight or the tensing of my own muscles.

Again, Erik pulled away. Cold, fresh air permeated my lungs and brought my brain back to the present. He sat back and moved off my legs, placing his hands on the button of my jeans. My breathing quickened again, my mind racing with excitement. Expertly, he pulled my jeans off over my legs, striping both of my socks along with them. With strong hands he lifted one of my legs to his face. Passionately he began kissing my knee.

I closed my eyes. The warmth of his tongue slowly worked its way up my inner thigh towards my groin. I turned my knee outwards slightly, allowing better access to my body. My clitoris was practically pulsating from the anticipation. Excitement gripped my diagram and forced my breathing to come out in gasps and pants.

Suddenly he stopped. "What are these princess?" concern laced Erik's lust filled voice.

Oh, right, those. He noticed. I opened my eyes and looked down at my right thigh. Pearly white scars were etched into parallel rows down the thick part of my leg. They were my reminder of freshman year. My mood faded from excited to uncomfortable. "I had a rough year at the start of high school," I said quietly, not really wanting to discuss it.

Erik bent his head down and kissed over the scars gently. I felt a little embarrassed by that. He shouldn't have to put his mouth on such a dirty spot. No amount of comfort could penetrate past the pain those scars represented.

"We all have scars darling," Erik whispered.

He sat up again, tucking his knees under my legs and bringing his face closer to me. Then he reached up, and pulled back the long hair covering his left eye. Underneath was a deep, jagged scar. The mark started above his brow and ran all the way down to his cheek bone. Where the line touched his eye I could see an indentation in the glassy surface. I reached up gingerly and ran a finger over the lower part of the scar.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I messed up a maneuver during fencing practice a few too many times. Father got angry with me and told me I didn't appreciate the danger of losing a fight. He cut me then and there." Erik's voice had become serious, but did not resonate with any heavy emotions.

My eyebrows knitted together in worry. "That's horrible."

"He is a horrible man." Erik didn't seem fazed by this statement.

How awful did his father have to be to make this seem mundane?

"Now is not the time for such thoughts. Right now is about you princess."

"But-"

"Kiss me, and put this out of your mind." Erik's voice dropped and he let the curtain of hair fall again over his scarred face.

I reached up and drew his face down to mine. He was right, the pain of the past had no business ruining the pleasure of this moment. Tenderly I kissed his warm lips, relishing in the softness of his skin. His hand slowly fell from my face and traced its way down my chest. I felt a gentle tingling in the wake of his fingers. The tightness returned to my abdomen as Erik's hand traveled lower and lower.

His warm tongue reached deep into my mouth, flexing powerfully against mine. I felt my breath begin to stick in my throat, and my diaphragm felt tight. My mind could only focus on Erik. His pheromones wafted into my nose, heightening the thrill. On their own accord, my hands began to explore his chest again. A fingertip found a tender nipple on its travels. I pressed down gently and began rubbing in small, circular motions.

Erik's tongue quickened in my mouth as his hand found my panties. Quickly he slipped his fingers under the hem, sliding them enticingly between my labia. The tightening in my muscles directed itself downwards, stiffening my clitoris. After rubbing up and down a few times, Erik reached down a little further. Dry, warm fingers pressed lightly around the ring of flesh near my vagina. Imagining him sliding into me caused a dribble of warmth drip out from between my legs.

I felt a smile stretch into Erik's lips as he touched me. He swirled his index finger teasingly around my opening a few times, spreading my slick arousal across my labia. My attention had drifted away from the kiss and was focused entirely upon my groin. Suddenly, Erik ended the kiss, leaving me gasping cold air. My eyes shot open with the harshness of the cold. Erik was sitting up, and withdrawing his hand from my underwear. By the time my thoughts had collected he was inserting his moistened finger into his mouth.

His eyes fluttered shut. I stared, completely enraptured by the half-naked man above me. Was he enjoying the taste? I wondered momentarily if that was even possible.

"This… mmm," he moaned around his finger. "May I try from the source, princess?"

My groin lurched, feelings of flattery overwhelming me. I sucked in breath suddenly. Unable to speak I nodded. Erik pulled back further, hooking his fingers over the hem of my underwear and pulling them off. I extended my legs to let the soft fabric slide off easily. Tenderly he guided my legs back to the bed, running his hands up my thighs while pushing my knees apart. Excitement shot up my legs as my nerves rejoiced at sensation of his fingers. Erik shuffled down and positioned his face just above my pelvis. His breath felt cold against my heated genitals. My muscles flexed instinctively and I shivered.

Slowly I pushed my body upwards, resting my weight on my elbows. The activities of the man before me were enticing. I wanted to watch. He looked up at me, eye just barely over the top of my pubic hair. Then, through the chilly air, I felt a warmth press against me, sliding directly over my most sensitive nerves. My head fell backwards as a wave of pleasure erupted in my groin. Erik began licking and sucking, trying several different methods until finally I moaned out loudly.

He had discovered what I liked best. Quickly he moved his tongue back and forth across my clitoris. Every time the muscle rolled over the exposed nerve I felt a wave of excitement. Something was building inside of me. Slowly the hot, needy pressure began to spread upwards accompanied by a faint tingle. My muscles were tensing tighter than ever, as if I was trying to push myself into his mouth with just my abdominals. Slowly, my breathing was becoming erratic. I reached my hand out, running my fingers through Erik's soft, rose colored hair. It took every bit of self-control I had left to keep myself from firmly grasping his hair and forcing his face into my pelvis. Instead I tried to distract my impulse by combing my fingers through the locks.

Then I felt a pressure at my vagina. Erik was pushing one finger into my depths. The digit slid in without any resistance or pain. I couldn't feel much. Despite my small size, his finger seemed disappointingly tiny against the walls of my vagina. I needed pressure, to stretch and expand. My hips began to twitch and jolt in time with the waves of pleasure emanating from my clitoris.

"M- more… Erik," I gasped out.

I felt him smile into my labia. Another finger was quickly added to the first. This was better. I could feel him pressing against me a little more now. Carefully he began moving his fingers in and out of me, mimicking the ministrations of sex. Between that and his mouth pressed to my button, I was becoming overwhelmed. But it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. Eventually he began to flex his fingers inside of me, pulling them apart to stretch the soft skin. The wiggling pressed up against my insides in unexpected and stimulating ways. Each stretch counteracted the tense clenching and lulled my body into a more relaxed pleasure. With the building excitement I barely dared to breath.

Erik was beginning to slow down. His fingers stopped first, slowly sliding out of me while his tongue decreased to strong, warm strokes. My breathing was steadily returning to normal. Without the stimulus my muscles began to relax. Gently he pulled away and I loosened my grip on his hair, not having realized how tightly I had grasped. I looked up into his face, his mouth was glistening slightly in the dim light. Through the glisten he was smiling a very satisfied smile.

"Princess, I would like to go all the way with you. May I continue?" Erik's voice was calm.

I was sure whatever I said now would be ok, and he wouldn't push me one way or the other. Reaching up to his face I pulled him down on me. Tenderly I kissed his lips, I needed time to think. Forcefully I cleared my mind. Did I really want to let this man inside of me? Well, he was doing a great job already. Why the hell not? I pushed him away gently and looked into his violet eye.

"Yes," I said quietly. "Do you have protection?"

He smiled and nodded. Erik reached towards the night stand, and I heard him roll the drawer open. I was met with a face full of muscular chest. Unable to resist I ran my fingers over the pale skin. I was so high on endorphins just touching him was intoxicating. As Erik pulled back from the nightstand my hands followed his body until he lingered just out of reach.

"Now now, that hardly seems fair. You get to touch me and I have yet to see you shirtless," he smirked playfully.

"That's not my fault," I feigned stubbornness.

He laughed lightly. "True enough my lady."

Erik reached down and placed the condom, still wrapped, on the bed sheets. Then he reached forward and pulled me upwards into his arms. I lifted my own arms and he pulled my t-shirt over my head. Tossing the clothing aside he planted a delicate kiss on my lips. Expertly, he reached behind me and unbuckled my bra strap. I felt the restricting underwear pull loose from my chest. The freedom I felt from this lightened my mood and eased my breathing. My breasts were exposed, and I was more than ready to feel his warm hands toy with them.

He began trailing kisses down my neck while rubbing soothingly where my bra had pressed into my skin. Spreading his hands tenderly around my back, he worked his fingers steadily towards my bosom. His lips stopped at my collar bone, where he sucked lovingly on the thin skin. My breathing was growing ragged again. Secretly, I hoped he would mark me there. I have always had a quiet pride for marks left during sexual intercourse. Focusing on the suckling of my collarbone, I didn't notice Erik's progress around my chest until I felt a tingling warmth ghost across the underside of my breasts.

Slowly his hands slid up and over my bosom, rubbing firmly against my nipples. My muscles were beginning to lose strength. I trembled slightly as I fell backwards onto the pillow once more. Erik only followed me part of the way down. He stopped an arm's length above me, pressing his hands into either side of my shoulders. His eyes surveyed me hungrily.

"You are so beautiful darling," he breathed out.

I didn't say anything, I just wanted him to continue. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long. Erik bent down and brought his face into my breast. Tenderly he wrapped his mouth around one of my nipples. The sudden pressure triggered a gasp to rise from my chest. Pleasure shot down my sides and swirled in my groin. The pulling and teasing was wonderful. Elated, I began to squirm slightly in his grasp. He flicked his tongue across the sensitive spot until the nipple became erect. Then he pulled away and blew cool air across the stiff spot. This left a light prickle dancing over my skin.

Sitting up again, Erik began stripping himself. I looked up just in time to see his boxers slide down over his hips. Dangling between his legs was an average sized penis, surrounded by well-groomed pubic hair. As his pants hit the floor he began pumping his hand up and down the shaft. He may have been erect already, but the slight stimulation seemed to increase the size even more so. Seeing him touch himself was arousing. I wanted to be the hand that held him, but before I could reach out Erik was sliding the condom onto this genitals.

Steadily, he positioned himself above me, pressing the tip of his cock gently into my slick vagina. Then he paused, a hand brushed against my cheek.

"Princess, may I?" He didn't need to say any more, I knew what he was asking.

I tore my eyes away from our genitals to look into his face. He was looking at me kindly, gently. A calm smile decorated his lips. His breathing was steady and eyes patient.

"Yes, Erik, ye-ah!" Before I could finish Erik had pushed himself into me.

My eyes fell shut. The thickness was marvelous. I could feel every inch of him pressing against my walls. My insides stretched soothingly. He pushed in about half way, firmly and slowly. Then he paused, to allowing me to get used to his size. He didn't wait long before pulling back again, drawing himself almost all the way out of me. Then, he went back in, driving into me as far as he could. Not quite far enough to reach my delicate cervix, but that was good for now. I would need to warm up anyways.

Rapidly he gained speed. Each thrust was strong and warm. Just feeling him inside of me was satisfying. Every so often the tip of his penis would nick a sensitive part of me. Each time I let out a strangled gasp or light moan. He increased the pace until he was panting from the exertion. This was nice, comfortable and encouraging, but it wasn't enough to make me cum. It never had been.

Then, Erik did something I wasn't expecting. Pausing for a moment, he pulled my legs upward. Carefully he placed my ankles on each of his shoulders. My buttock was lifted a few inches from the bedding. This had never happened before, I wasn't sure what to expect. Then, he rammed into me. I couldn't control the sound that leaped from my mouth. Usually I was fairly quiet, but this was something else. Erik had plunged directly upward and struck the most sensitive nerves along my vaginal walls. The feeling was shocking. Jarring and electrifying. Again he struck, and the sensation racked my body again.

I didn't have time to think, or register what was happening to me. Pleasure flooded my mind and mesmerized every nerve in my body. The time between each plunge was getting smaller and smaller. Every time he hit I yelled out in pleasure. Before I knew it he was going faster than my mind could keep up with. There was no pause between the jolts of agonizing pleasure. I had lost track of what was coming out of my mouth. There was nothing but pounding and tingling in the entire world. I felt the familiar building sensation. A gathering trickle of energy flowed down my pelvis, tighter and higher. Then I reached my peak.

Everything relaxed as all the pressure was released from my body in waves. My hips bucked and my thighs twitched, feet waving aimlessly. Air evacuated my lungs in a long sigh. Tingling erupted all over my body. My mind went completely blank. Not a single thought passed through my brain. Endorphins swirled around my head as I drifted in my natural high. Vaguely, I felt Erik pull out of me. The mattress dropped slightly as he lay beside me. My body was beginning to feel cold. Instinctively I snuggled into the boy next to me, nuzzling against his chest and wrapping a leg around him. My sensitive body could practically feel the dopamine uptake from the skin on skin contact.

"Well, how was that princess?"

His voice echoed in the void of my mind. Just barely I was able to comprehend that I needed to respond. Lightly I lifted my hand, and pressed a single finger against his lips. I didn't quite hit the center of his mouth, but my message seemed to get through. Erik fell silent and wrapped a warm arm around me, nuzzling his nose into my hair. We lay like this for a long time while I gathered myself. It took every ounce of strength within me to try and communicate with Erik. I had to tell him something. Usually after I orgasm I am incoherent, but this was something far more inhibiting than I had ever experienced before. I was utterly offline. Finally, my mind came back just enough to force a few mumbled words out of my mouth.

"Words…" I shook my head, trying to speak. "Not… yet…"

Erik chuckled, pulling me closer to him. I took a few, long breaths. His sweet scent mingled enticingly with the smell of our sex. My eyes slit open. The chest I was laying on came into view. Sweat was drying gradually across the muscular form. A gentle rise and fall danced in time with Erik's breathing. Opening my eyes wider I looked up into his face. His eyes were closed, a proud smile was fixed to his face. I let out a gentle sigh. Intelligible thought was finally returning along with control of my body.

"S-sorry. When I cum I kind of… can't speak," I explained my earlier state.

Erik opened his eyes and looked down at me. "That's quite alright darling, I wasn't worried. How are you feeling?"

"I feel… fantastic. That was the best orgasm I have ever had in my entire life." I gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Thank you."

He smiled confidently, closing his eyes again.

"What about you? Did you…"

"Ah, no. Don't worry about me. Your satisfaction is its own reward."

I frowned. "That doesn't seem very fair."

He lifted his head from the pillow, rose colored hair falling back to reveal his other eye. "Really, darling, I'm fine. I'm quite accustomed to not receiving anything in return. Honestly, just being able to hold you afterwards was an unexpected pleasantry."

I sat up part way. Leaning over him I surveyed the sorry boy. "I can't just let that lie Erik. Not after you were so good to me." I laced my tone with a seductive note. Gently I ran my hand over his warm chest.

He grabbed my fingers and brought them to his lips. "That's unnecessary."

I pulled out of his grasp and sat the rest of the way up. Silently I remembered being in Erik's situation, left without my needs met after my partner was done. "Well, I insist." Stretching, I began to crawl down the bed towards his waist.

Erik grabbed my arm. "There's no need for you to dirty yourself with me." His eyes looked a little frantic. A shy side was beginning to show through.

"Oh? But it's dirty in the best way," I said wantonly, smiling mischievously. Again I pulled away drifting down between his legs before he stopped me again. He was sitting up fully now.

"Darling, it's not that important," he looked a little guilty. "You probably don't really want to…"

"Why would you assume that? Maybe I enjoy pleasuring men?" In a way, I felt the same as Erik did. Watching a boy reach his climax from my touch was a very gratifying experience. Settling down, I positioned my face just above his dick. "I may not be as good as you, but I've been told I am rather talented."

Before I could touch him, Erik grabbed my face in both of his hands and pulled me slightly away. "Princess…" he paused. "No one has ever…" He trailed off, clearly unable to finish.

Tenderly I wrapped my hands around his fingers, prying them off my cheeks. In all seriousness I said, "Erik, do you not want me to touch you?" If he wasn't comfortable I wouldn't force him.

"No, that's not-" Erik looked away guiltily.

"Well then," my flirtatious voice had returned. I pushed him backwards onto the bed. Both of my palms pressed into his shoulders while I hung above him. My eyes narrowed and I smiled at the look of surprise on his face. "You will let me have my way with you. Or do I need to tie you down?"

His mouth opened, but no sound came out. I took that moment to steal a fervent kiss from the man. Taking control of the kiss, I pushed my tongue into his mouth. He responded hesitantly, but none the less passionately. Suddenly I broke the kiss, quickly hunkering back down between his legs. I took his flaccid, naked penis in my hand and gazed at it. How did I want to approach this?

Tenderly, I ran my tongue from the base to the tip. Erik let out a quiet moan. The bitter, hollow taste of latex permeated my tongue. That would have to wait. I pulled away slightly, yanking my glasses off my face and setting them on the corner of the bed. Gathering saliva, I spat into my palm. Gently I began massaging the liquid into his penis. The digit became firmer in my hand with each stroke. Again I bent down, and pressed my face close to the pocket between the shaft and the sack. Breathing in deeply I could smell the wonders of his concentrated pheromones. I pondered the taste. Would he be bitter and sour, or warm tasteless? Wrapping my mouth around his tender skin, I sucked in one of his testicles.

"Aaahh," I heard him sigh out.

Tenderly I rolled the spheroid shaped organ around in my mouth, making sure to only press lightly with my tongue. My hand continued to pump up and down his length. Careful not to drag my dry fingers across the head, I held tightly to the foreskin, forcing it to follow my movements. I kept this up until my hand no longer felt slick against his skin. Then I pulled my mouth away, allowing the testicle to pop back into place before releasing his sack.

Again I tried licking his dick. The latex taste had mostly vanished. As my tongue slid over his urethra I looked up. Erik had the most beautiful blush sprinkled across his face. He was biting his lower lip, eyes huge and dilated.

"Mmm," I gave a contented sigh. "You're so nice," I whispered, brushing my lips against the head.

His blush deepened, and I saw him swallow hard.

I couldn't resist, I had to play with this boy. "Do you want in," I asked, my voice low and smile wide. I gently tapped my lower lip with the tip of his penis.

Erik nodded slowly, his breathing becoming heavy.

"Hum?" I tilted my head and gave him an innocent look. "I can't hear you."

"Yes," he breathed out, barely above a whisper.

My seductive smile returned. Firmly I pushed my tongue under his corona, pressing into each nerve ending as I went. This elicited a delicious moan from the boy. "Say please."

"P-please…"

He was doing so well, I was tempted to push a little farther. "Please what?"

"M-mika," he gasped as I ran my tongue around the other side of his corona.

"Go on," I whispered.

"Please… put me in-AH!" Erik shouted out as I suddenly shoved his penis into my mouth as far as it would go.

I pulled back slowly, running my lips tightly along his shaft as I went. Then I pushed back down again. Making sure to start slowly, without too much suction. After a few strokes I pulled back farther, spinning my tongue around his head. He moaned out wantonly again. Those sounds were so delectable. I focused on my blow job, steadily increasing the pressure and speed. Eventually, my head was bobbing as fast as it could go without giving me a headache. Quickly I slowed down, pulling out with a small pop and blowing cool air across the heated tip.

"Mmmm," he whined at the loss.

Grasping firmly, I began pumping his length with my hand again. Lustfully I surveyed the man before me. His legs were spread wide, giving me plenty of room to maneuver. Face beet red, eyes jammed shut, he was biting hard into his fist. His other hand was clutching the sheet as if the fabric were a lifeline. Without delay, I picked up speed until I was moving faster with my hand than I had with my mouth. He had begun to tremble, hips shaking as if he was trying hard to resist bucking into me.

I smiled, pleased at the sight before me. There was more that I could do, he was in for it now. Shifting my hand around, I grasped his shaft tightly with my fingertips. Making sure to catch under the sensitive corona every time I came up. Occasionally I would allow the tip to bang into my palm. He bit his fist harder, brows knitting together. That was no good.

"Moan for me Erik," I said commandingly, "I want to hear you."

Shakily he removed his fist. To encourage him further I gave an exceptionally hard pull.

"Ohhaahh."

The power was exhilarating. "Good boy," I cooed.

"Mnm, ah," was all I got in response.

He was getting closer, I could sense the pressure building. Gently I pressed my free hand into his testicles, rubbing each ball gently between my fingers and palm. His legs shook, I felt his toes curling into the bedding. This was so gratifying. Erik made such a sexy mess. Shifting my grip again, I grasped his length with the entirety of my hand. As I pulled back I leaned forward and licked across his head. At this, Erik practically shouted. Finally I could taste the sour slick of his pre-cum. Not long now. Just long enough to tease him a little bit more.

"Say my name," I said clearly, studying his face.

"Wha- huh?" he panted out, eyes flashing open.

"Say my name," I repeated. "Or do you want me to slow down." A mischievous smile fixed itself to my face.

"Nnngah, nn… Mi-" he breathed in sharply as I licked him again.

"Again," I whispered.

"Mi-ka," he grunted out.

In response I wrapped my mouth around his head again. Sucking in, I could feel the pre-ejaculate draw out of his urethra.

"I want to hear you say my name as you cum, alright," I commanded.

He nodded, and let out another moan. I went down on him, surrounding his penis with my warm mouth while pumping the rest of his length with my hand. Not neglecting his balls, I continued feeling him up as I worked his dick. He wouldn't be able to take much more of this. Sure enough, after a few minutes, he said,

"Mika, I- I'm… I'm gonna-"

Before he could finish, I slammed his dick deep into my throat. A warm, grainy substance shot down my esophagus. Erik's penis twitched in my mouth as sound erupted from the boy. I had managed to get the timing just right, I had managed to avoid tasting his ejaculate. That was my least favorite part, and having him come directly into my throat avoided the whole scenario. Once he was spent I pulled away, slowly and carefully. Allowing his penis to fall onto his abdomen, I made my way back up the bed. Automatically his arms rose up to grab me in a firm embrace. I let him pull me close to his chest, familiar with the desire for skin contact after an orgasm. He breathed heavily in my ear, drifting back down to earth. I waited quietly in his arms, stroking his soft hair.

After a moment he said, "Thank you so much. You have spoiled me darling." His flirtatious voice had returned, along with his confidence. "I should probably clean up."

"There's no need, I made sure to get it all."

"Did you swallow it?!" Erik said, shocked. He stared up at me, wide eyed.

I smiled cheekily. "Who knows." I was dodging the question.

He didn't press me further. Instead he kissed me gently on the mouth. His tongue tangled delicately with mine for a moment, then he pulled away. There were tears in the corner of his eyes.

"No one has ever done anything like that for me. Thank you so much. I'm unworthy."

"You are plenty worthy," I tapped the tip of his nose for emphasis. "Now relax, and just hold me for a while."

He did. For a short while we lay there, enjoying each other's presence in silence. I continued stroking his head tenderly, allowing the softness to soothe me. Soon enough his eyes fluttered shut. He let out a peaceful sigh, reaching down and pulling the comforter over himself. I felt sleepiness tugging at the back of my mind. Not here. I wriggled free from the tangle of arms and stood up, being careful not to disturb the man in bed. I felt his arms subconsciously stiffen, as if trying to keep me still. Standing up I searched for my clothing. Slipping on my jeans and tossing my t-shirt back over my head, I redressed myself to the bare minimum. Before I left, I bent over and kissed Erik's forehead gingerly.

"Sweet dreams handsome," I murmured.


	11. Section 11

The next morning I awoke to the banging of my alarm. Fumbling with my phone I silenced the deafening tone. Groaning, I sat up. Despite having slept quite peacefully, I still felt drained. There was a dull ache in the base of my abdomen. I smiled at the gentle reminder of last night's activities. Erik had been so good. I got up and stretched, the covers falling away from my naked body. Not having bothered to put on pajamas the night before, I shivered slightly as the cold air brushed against my skin.

First, I picked out some clothing from the closet. Donning a low cut, short sleeved, black shirt and comfortable jeans, I looked at myself in the mirror. The shirt was laced together with a black string, but my cleavage was still evident. Had I been in school, I would surely have been dress coded, but it was summer time. I can wear whatever I fucking want to. It's not always about you. My mother's words rang in my head. Shaking myself, I continued getting ready for the day. Before I left my room I grabbed my headphones and plugged them into my phone.

Scrolling through my list of songs, I selected one by Neon Trees. Clapping my hands three times in time with the musician, I skipped out of my room and down the hall. The lyrics started up the moment I reached the banister. As I pranced down the stairs I began to sing along. The song I had chosen was about sex, and none too subtly either. Outlining carnal desires and animalistic fornication, I tried to make my dancing reflect the essence of the music. I felt no shame in dragging my hands suggestively across my body or thrusting my pelvis against my air. The entryway became my own private stage. Eyes closed, moving on instinct, I allowed reality to melt away for one sexy, artistic moment.

The song began to fade, but not at the end of the song. Replacing the melody was an irritating ringing sound. Glaring down at my phone, white letters flashed the word "Mom" across the screen. Oh great, her. Letting out a verbal sigh, I pressed the ignore button. My moment had been disrupted. Mood sufficiently killed. The interruption had paused my music. I rolled my eyes and looked up.

The first thing I saw was James, standing in the doorway between the entrance hall and the dining hall. His mouth was slightly ajar, eyes wide and dilated. Looking around I noticed Erik standing on the second floor landing, leaning over the banister with an amused smirk on his face. Damien was half way down the stairs, just about to take another step, staring at me stunned. Displaying a matching expression was Mathew, who was standing next to Sam in front of the door. Sam had a cocky smile on his face. He was the one to speak first.

"Nice moves Mika." Sam winked at me, smirking.

"Why thank you," I spun around and bowed low while making a wide sweeping motion with one hand.

"What were you even doing?" Mathew asked.

"Dancing," Sam and I responded in unison.

"That was the strangest dancing I've ever seen," Erik commented.

I glanced up at him, still leaning over the banister on the second floor.

"Well, you've only ever been taught ballroom dancing. Dancing amongst the commoners and humans is completely different," Sam said.

I nodded, stealing a peek at James. He was still standing in the door of the dining hall, a strained look on his face. Was there something bothering him? He looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Well, that's pretty cool. Can you teach us sometime?" Mathew asked.

"I'm not really the greatest dancer. Almost anyone else would be better suited to teach you." Out of the corner of my eye I watched James. "And it's better if you know the music more… intimately."

I saw James shiver. What was wrong with him? Damien was also watching James, but his expression suggested he knew exactly what was bothering his brother.

"Is breakfast ready?" Damien asked gently.

James visually shook himself before answering. "Yes, I just finished."

"Alright!" Mathew bounded down the steps into the entrance hall and made his way into the dining hall.

The rest of us followed suit, gathering around the table to the sight of fresh eggs, bacon and warm toast. As we sat down I did not fail to notice that James sat as far away from me as he could. Damien sat next to him, patting James' shoulder and smiling kindly. Sam and Mathew kept up the conversation of music and dancing in the modern, human world. I was impressed with Sam's knowledge of the subject. We all chatted amicably while we finished eating and cleaning up the mess left behind. Then we went our separate ways for the day.

As I promised, I spent much of the day researching education for the boys. Finding drivers ed classes was easy. There were even some programs that were starting within this month that James, Sam and Erik could attend. Cooking classes were all over the place, but most didn't commence until the fall. Several local community centers were hosting seasonal cooking practice starting in September. Mathew would be thrilled about his. James had mentioned having an interest in higher education, so I looked up ways for him to attain a high school diploma as an adult. The best options seemed to be the online classes you could take geared towards both a standard high school degree and pre-college high school degree. Finding reading classes for Damien was the hardest. Most were designed for adults with dyslexia, not people who had never been taught to read in the first place. Putting him in that situation didn't seem right, so I called a few institutions until I found one or two that would work.

During lunch I presented my findings to the boys, and they all seemed rather pleased. Lunch passed quickly with some mild chatter about schooling. After lunch we all parted ways again. I wandered back up to the office to test out my computer setup. Booting up League of Legends, figuring that game would require a high enough performance to provide a reasonable test, I prepared myself for battle. Launching a player vs AI game, I dove into Summoner's Rift, the main arena. I had no problems playing through the game, so I played another. Several hours passed as I played.

Eventually, Sam wandered into the office. He watched me play for a while, occasionally asking me questions about the game. Soon after, Erik and James also checked in on me. They too became interested in my League of Legends round. Focusing on the game while being bombarded by questions was complex. When the round was over I started a new one, to show them everything from start to finish. James picked up the basic strategy rather quickly. The other two had a hard time comprehending the intricacies of item purchasing. After the round finished, with a decisive win over the artificial intelligence, I surrendered the computer over to the incubi, allowing them to try League out for themselves.

In the meantime, I decided to prepare dinner for us. I walked down the hall of the west wing towards the stairs. As I passed the gaming room, I saw Mathew and Damien sitting on the floor playing a hand of Uno. The red haired brother was clearly winning, and Mathew was pouting slightly.

"Sam's right, playing against you isn't fair," he glowered.

Damien, noticing me watching them, greeted me. "Hello Mika."

"Hello Damien. Mathew," I said, nodding to each of them.

"Hey Mika, what are you up to?" Mathew asked.

"I was just going to start making dinner," I replied.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. Can we join you?" Mathew asked, jumping up and tossing his cards to the floor.

"What about our game," Damien asked, slightly disappointed.

"Let's just agree that you won," Mathew said dismissively.

Damien nodded and stuffed the cards back into their box. Tossing them haphazardly onto the table, the boys followed me down to the kitchen.

"What were you planning on making?" Mathew asked excitedly.

"Gyudon," I responded. "It's a Japanese beef and rice dish."

"That sounds nice," Mathew said.

I explained the recipe further as I pulled ingredients out of the cabinets and fridge. We set to work quickly. This recipe usually made enough servings for four people, so I decided to double the components. Two large pans were placed on the stove to boil water and spices. Damien mixed the wet ingredients in two small mixing bowls while Mathew cut the beef into small, thin slices. I placed three cups of rice into the rice cooker to steam, and then started chopping the onions. Damien finished first, and moved to help me with the onions. Then Mathew finished, adding half the beef into each mixture of wet ingredients.

"What should I do next?" he asked happily.

"You could go tell the others that dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes," I suggested.

He nodded and bounced out of the room.

Damien and I continued chopping the onions. Soon enough, both of us began sniffling. My eyes were irritated, and one had begun to tear up. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Damien reaching up to his face. I grabbed his hand quickly.

"Don't rub your eye with onion juice all over your hand," I said sternly.

He looked at me, and then down to his hand, realization dawning on his face. "I didn't even think…"

I smiled and handed him a towel. His eyes were bright red and tears were starting to gather around the edges. Sniffing hard, I looked down at the partially sliced onions. I wonder if we can prank Mathew when he comes back. I turned to Damien to see if he was reading my mind. He looked at me and smiled roguishly.

"What did you have in mind?" he asked.

"Just follow my lead," I said.

We paused for a moment, listening intently.

"Here he comes," Damien whispered.

I cleared my throat quietly. "It's just so horrible Damien," I wined.

Mathew pushed through the parlor door.

"So terrible, so violent," Damien sniffed, nodding his head.

"How could anyone do something so horrific to such a sweet and innocent… thing," I sobbed, tears streaming down my face.

"The injustice," Damien agreed, his voice catching in the back of his throat.

"Um… guys, what's-" Mathew started.

"MATHEW!" we shouted in unison, running towards the warry boy as he jumped from the sudden yell. I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around his leg. Damien grasped onto his arm, burying his tear stained face in Mathew's shoulder.

"We've done something awful Mathew…" I choked out, barely able to contain my laughter. I hid my smiling face in his hip.

"We are the scum of the earth," Damien sobbed, turning his face away from Mathew's line of sight.

"What happened?" he asked, patting the top of my head lightly. Frightened concern laced into his tone.

"We- we… we murdered…" I stuttered.

"The onions," Damien finished, gesturing towards the countertop.

Science filled the room. Biting my tongue to keep from laughing I looked up into Mathew's face. He was staring blankly at the countertop, mouth slightly ajar. Mathew looked as if his brain was short circuiting. For a moment, there was no comprehension on his face. Then, realization slowly trickled into view, only to be twisted into irritation.

Damien coughed out a small chuckle. I couldn't hold it in any more, I started giggling.

"Are you serious?" Mathew grumbled, glaring at the two of us.

Letting go of Mathew's arm, Damien leaned back against the counter, laughing gently at his brother's irritation. I also released Mathew and rolled onto the floor, sides heaving in stifled laughter.

"I thought something was really wrong!" Mathew half shouted.

"You should have seen your face," I chuckled.

After a good guffaw, Damien and I returned to cooking. Mathew set the table with all the essentials, still grumbling at us. Fifteen minutes later we all sat down to eat. James, Sam and Erik had just completed a game and couldn't stop talking about it. Noticing that Mathew had only placed forks on the table, I jumped up.

"I'll be right back," I said, trotting towards the kitchen.

I shuffled around the silverware drawer until I found a set of chopsticks. Generally, I preferred to eat Asian cuisine with chopsticks instead of forks. Doing so made me feel culturally experienced. Quickly I returned to the dining hall.

"I told you we shouldn't have bought so many defensive items," Sam was saying as I re-entered the room. "That's why our attack damage was so low."

"But we kept dying," Erik countered.

"That's just because you kept picking fights when you were outnumbered," James commented.

"I couldn't get a proper flow of the game, since we kept switching back and forth," Erik complained.

"We all could play together," I interjected.

The three of them turned to look at me.

"How?" asked Sam. "There's only one computer."

"We could get you computers, that would be relatively easy," I said. Slowly, I stirred my gyudon with my chopsticks, considering what would need to be done to attain computers for the boys.

"What are you eating with?" Mathew asked, leaning over and peering into my bowl.

"Oh, these? They are called chopsticks. Many Asian cultures use them to eat instead of forks," I informed him.

"Wow that looks really cool. Can I try?" Mathew asked.

"I guess. I've got to check to see if there are more in the kitchen," I said, standing up and returning to the silverware drawer.

After hunting for a few minutes, I found five more pairs of sticks. By the time I reached the table again, talk had turned back around to League of Legends. James was doing his best to explain the game to Damien and Mathew.

"There are five positions spread across five human players. Two fight along the pathway at the top of the map, one fights in the central pathway, and two more fight along the bottom pathway," he was saying.

"Sometimes," I interrupted, handing him a pair of chopsticks. "You were playing with a lot of people who are not as familiar with typical game strategies. This shuffled around the roles pretty dramatically."

"How so?" asked Erik, taking his own set of chopsticks from me.

"Well, in bots games, player vs artificial intelligence games, the enemy usually has two champions in the top and bottom lanes each, and one in the mid lane" I explained while handing out chopsticks to the rest of the boys. "In player vs player games, there is only one in the top lane, the other person roaming around the side areas of the map, or the jungle, supporting the team in many different lanes while taking advantage of some perks only found in the jungle."

"That really changes things," James said, while examining his chopsticks.

"Also, each of the other positions have specific roles that they take on, making a fairly strict team composition," I added. "People don't generally play just any champion in any spot."

"That's fascinating and all," Sam said. "But how the HELL do you eat with these stupid things." He was jabbing a single stick into a piece of beef, only to have the meat bounce away from him.

I laughed lightly at his frustration. "It's all in how you hold them. Here, let me show you." I explained how to hold chopsticks with a small demonstration.

"Like this?" Mathew asked.

"No, not quite," I reached over and adjusted the sticks for him.

As I touched his hand I could feel him twitch slightly. Gently I guided the chopsticks into place.

"I see, thanks Mika," Mathew smiled at me gratefully.

I nodded and leaned back into my seat. Scooping more rice and onion into my mouth, I observed the boys in silence. Damien and Erik seemed to get the hang of the chopsticks rather quickly. James struggled a little at first, but then he too grew accustomed to them. Sam, was a different story.

"THAT'S IT!" Sam shouted, hurling the chopsticks, one at a time, across the room. "Damn those stupid sticks! Who would bother when a fork is so much easier?!" He grabbed his fork and began spitefully shoveling food into his mouth.

We all laughed at Sam's outburst. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Mathew nod and set his chopsticks down subtly. He then joined his brother, enjoying his food with his fork.

"You're jealous," Damien stated, closing his eyes and savoring a bite of beef.

"Stay out of my head!" Sam shouted around a mouth full of rice and onion.

We laughed again.

"Mika," James spoke next. "After dinner, would you mind showing me a player vs player game?"

"Sure," I said.

"I think I would like to see this game too," Damien added.

"Would we really all be able to play together?" Erik asked.

"If we got five more computers, yeah, probably," I confirmed. "Unfortunately, the team sizes max out at five players, but we can work around that."

Taking my last bite of gyudon, I began to consider what would be needed in order to set up five more computers in the office. All of the book shelves would have to be moved out. Hopefully there were more outlets behind the bookshelves, and not just the one behind my desk. If not, we would need extension cords and a lot of power strips. Then there was the issue of the internet. My current router would not support five more Ethernet cables. Would the internet even be able to keep connected with that many computers running at the same time?

The boys finished up their food quickly. We then cleared away the dishes, ran the dishwasher, and raced upstairs again. Launching League of Legends, I hopped into a player vs player game. I tried to get my favorite role, but ended up being stuck in mid lane instead. The boys all watched me play for the next 30 minutes. Here and there I would explain the different strategies my teammates and the enemies employed throughout the game. Regrettably, the game ended in a defeat for my team.

After the game, both Damien and Mathew wanted to try, but James insisted on playing the next one to try out some of the new strategies he saw. The other two yielded to their older brother's demands and watched as James played another game. While they played I began planning out how I was going to rearrange the room. They kept playing late into the night, switching after every game. Around 23:00 I turned in, feeling too tired to stay up any longer.


End file.
